Flame Retardants Found in Thousands of Consumer Products Linked to Cancer in People for First Time
April 1, 2024 | Source: CNN Health | by Sandee LaMotte
Flame retardants added for decades to thousands of consumer products in the United States may raise the risk of dying from cancer, according to new research.
People with the highest levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, in their blood had approximately a 300% increased risk of dying from cancer compared with people with the lowest levels, the study found.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study examining the association of PBDE exposure with risk of cause-specific mortality in the general adult population from the US,” the authors wrote.
The new report analyzed levels of the chemical compounds in the blood of 1,100 people between 2003 and 2004 who were participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a longitudinal federal study on the health of US citizens.