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Health flame retardants in furniture are often the cause of thyroid cancer
The reasons for the development of cancer are manifold. Researchers have now found that increased exposure to chemicals to reduce the flammability of furniture, carpets, electronics and other household items has the potential to significantly increase the likelihood of thyroid cancer.
Researchers at Duke University found in their study that there is a significant association between higher levels of certain flame retardants in house dust and the onset of thyroid cancer. The doctors published a press release with the results of their study.
There are more and more cases of thyroid cancer. Physicians found that thyroid cancer might be related to flame retardants in our household items. (Image: Andrey Popov / fotolia.com) Incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma is increasing
The incidence of papillary thyroid cancer has risen by an average of seven percent a year in the United States over the last two decades, says Dr. Julie Ann Sosa. At the same time, exposure to flame retardant chemicals has also increased.
Experts are studying effects on thyroid regulation
According to the researchers, these chemicals influence thyroid function. "We know that some flame retardants share a similar chemical structure to thyroid hormones," say the physicians. The scientists were particularly interested in their effects on thyroid regulation and clinically significant thyroid disease.
Researchers examine volunteers and the dust in their homes
"Our study was designed to explore if there is any association between these chemicals and thyroid cancer," say the authors. They examined 140 patients with and without papillary thyroid carcinoma. The subjects had lived in their homes for an average of eleven years. Through an analysis of house dust samples, the physicians wanted to determine the long-term exposure in living spaces.
Physicians are looking for biomarkers for polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the blood
The researchers collected household dust to measure flame retardants in the home environment. They also analyzed participants' blood and focused on specific biomarkers for a class of flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). These chemicals used to inhibit the flammability of furniture have been used very often until it became clear in the 2000s that toxicity is affecting human health, the authors add.
80 percent of the exposure to flame retardants comes from house dust
Despite declining usage, these chemicals are still being discovered in house dust samples, as many people still have products containing chemicals in their home, the researchers say. These include, for example, TVs and sofas. Scientists estimate that about 80 percent of the population's exposure to flame retardants comes from indoor house dust.
These chemicals are especially dangerous
The researchers identified several important associations between the long-term exposure of flame retardant chemicals and the risk of thyroid cancer, especially in terms of increased tumor aggressiveness. Exposure to two special chemicals, decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) and tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), in house dust was the most associated with higher risks, the authors explain.
What exactly do the chemicals do??
Study participants who had elevated concentrations of BDE-209 in their house dust showed a 2.3-fold higher risk of developing thyroid cancer compared to subjects who were exposed to very low concentrations, the researchers report. TCEP in dust was also more associated with larger, more aggressive tumors, say the experts. In contrast, patients with the highest level of BDE-209 in dust usually developed less aggressive tumors.
Exposure to flame retardants seems to lead to a large increase in thyroid cancer
The results suggest that exposure to several flame retardants may be associated with the diagnosis and severity of papillary thyroid cancer, the researchers explain. This connection could possibly explain, why in the last years such a strong increase of the illness could be observed, says author Dr. Heather M. Stapleton. (As)