Fire Retardants Raise Thyroid Risk in Women

Women with high levels of common flame retardants in their blood may have an elevated risk for thyroid disease, a recent study suggests.

The chemicals – known as PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers - can be used to make clothing or upholstery fire-resistant.

PBDEs belong to “a class of chemicals that interfere with our endocrine system – so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals," said lead researcher Joseph Allen of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

PBDEs disrupt the endocrine system by interfering with the body's production of the hormone estrogen. The thyroid, which controls metabolism, can malfunction without the right amount of estrogen.

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