A new study has suggested that phasing out the use of potentially harmful flame retardants in furniture foam, electronics and plastics may be having a positive impact on pregnant women and newborns' exposure to the chemicals.
From the 1970s, manufacturers commonly used flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in electrics, furniture and plastics. But these retardants were found to pose potentially serious health issues to pregnant women and their infants.
In 2011, Medical News Today reported on a study showing evidence that some PBDEs may be undermining thyroid hormone signaling throughout a woman's pregnancy - something which could affect the brain development of the fetus.
Previous evidence has also suggested that exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy, even at low levels, can result in a child experiencing learning and concentration difficulties later in life.
The production of these chemicals ceased in the US in 2004. But until now, it has been unclear whether this has had an impact on human exposure.
Researchers from George Washington University and the University of California, San Francisco/Davis, decided to find out whether human exposure to these chemicals has reduced. Their findings were published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
The research team analyzed the blood samples of 25 pregnant women who visited San Francisco General Hospital between 2008 and 2009, in order to test for the presence of five different PBDEs. These were compared with the blood samples of 36 pregnant women who visited the hospital between 2011 and 2012.
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