Fire retardant linked to reduced fertility

BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Women with higher blood levels of a type of common flame retardant in household consumer products take longer to become pregnant, U.S. researchers found.

Kim Harley of the Center for Children's Environmental Health Research at University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, says polybrominated diphenyl ethers are a class of organobromine compounds that became commonplace after the 1970s when new U.S. fire safety standards were implemented. The flame retardants are used in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets, plastics and other common household items.

Studies suggest 97 percent of U.S. residents have detectable levels of PBDEs in their blood and the levels in Americans are 20 times higher than in their European counterparts, Harley says.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found each ten-fold increase in the blood concentration of four PBDE chemicals was linked to a 30 percent decrease in the odds of becoming pregnant each month.

"There have been numerous animal studies that have found a range of health effects from exposure to PBDEs, but very little research has been done in humans," Harley says in a statement. "This latest paper is the first to address the impact on human fertility, and the results are surprisingly strong."