Fireproofing Chemicals May Be Causing Female Infertility

Posted on January 26, 2010 in Consumer Goods, Health & Medicine, Recent Studies, Women's Health

A newly released study finds flame-retardant chemicals found in many household consumer products can cause fertility problems in women, among other health complications.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs for short, have been used for about 40 years as flame retardants in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets and plastics, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Health concerns about the chemicals have led to bans in some states and a general decline in their use.

However, PBDEs are still used and now are being blamed for causing infertility in women exposed to the chemicals, according to researchers from the University of California, Berkeley. PBDEs have been linked to reproductive and other health complications before, including a 2008 study which found a link between the chemicals and thyroid levels in men and a more recent study which concluded they can cause neurodevelopmental delays in young children.

Pregnant Women Studied

For the study, the researchers measured PBDE levels in blood samples from 223 pregnant women, mostly Mexican immigrants living in an agricultural community, the Times reports. The women were asked how long they had been trying to get pregnant by being sexually active without using birth control.

The researchers found women with the highest concentrations of the chemicals in the blood were more likely to have difficulty becoming pregnant. For every 10-fold increase in blood concentration of PBDEs, there was a 30 percent decrease in the likelihood of becoming pregnant each month, the study found.

“It’s a pretty strong effect,” Kim Harley, associate director of the Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and a lead author of the new study, told the Times. “They can all become pregnant, but they all had very different amounts of time it took them to become pregnant.”

Most People Have PBDEs in Their Blood

PBDEs are so widely used in various consumer products and foods that an estimated 97 percent of Americans have detectable levels of the chemicals in their blood. Household products sprayed with the chemicals to make them flame resistant are the leading way people are exposed to the chemicals.

However, researchers said it is still unclear why exposure to PBDEs causes infertility in women.