University of Notre Dame Lab Wants Your Vacuum Dust – For Science!
Vacuuming is one of those necessary evils that comes with living in a house or an apartment. You have to get the vacuum out of the closet, plug it in, drag it around the house, then unplug it and plug it in somewhere else because the cord only stretches so far. It's a hassle, but one that needs to be done from time to time to keep your place clean. Chances are, you don't think about what's inside all that dust, and I'll assume you probably don't want to know. But there is someone who does.
University of Notre Dame Lab Group Collecting Vacuum Dust for a New Study
The Peaslee Lab Group at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana will be more than happy to take that dust off your hands once you've vacuumed it off the floor for a study they're currently conducting to determine " elemental contaminants found in house dust within Indiana homes."
The purpose of the study is to create what they call an "elemental database" in an effort to "identify specific elements of concern, such as lead and fluorine," both of which are indicators of Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which, surprise, surprise, are not great for our health.
The study will also use the information it obtains to help identify the possible sources of these elements and get a better understanding of where they came from.
How to Participate in the Study
If you would like to be a part of the study and are curious as to the types of dust you and your family are breathing in every day while inside your home, enter your information on the Google form set up by the lab. If you are one of the 200 to 300 people selected to participate, you'll receive an e-mail from the lab to confirm you are definitely interested in being part of the study. You'll then be sent a large manilla envelope in the mail containing the collection kit and instructions on how to use it and where to send it after you've collected the sample.
Once the lab has received and analyzed your sample, they'll send you an e-mail with the results of what they found.
For more information on the study, visit the Peaslee Lab Group website.
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