HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Fire retardant chemical found in children

Study Abstract

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fire retardant chemical used in electronics, toys and furniture has been detected in children's blood at triple the levels found in their mothers, the Environmental Working Group reported on Thursday.

In a small pilot study of 20 families, the non-profit environmental group tested blood samples from mothers and their young children -- ages 18 months to four years -- for the presence of PBDEs, a hormone-disrupting chemical.

In 19 of the 20 families, concentrations of PBDEs were typically three times as high in children as in their mothers, said Sonya Lunder, the study's author. One child had six times the level of the chemical that was detected in her mother.

"To us, this raises concerns that kids live very differently in the same environment than their parents do and those kid-like behaviors put them at risk for contaminant exposure," Lunder said in a telephone interview.

Study Information

Fire retardant chemical found in children

2008 September

Full Study

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0327109520080904?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10279&sp=true