You may not have heard of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. But if you are trying to conceive, you need to pay attention. The common flame-retardant chemicals, found in electronics, plastics, carpets, fabric and foam furniture, may be affecting your fertility.
A study done by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and published in this week’s Environmental Health Perspectives journal showed that women with higher levels of the chemical in their blood were between 30 and 50 percent less likely to get pregnant in a given month than those with lower levels.
From USA Today:
The research joins other animal and human studies that show health effects from PBDE exposure and that 97% of U.S. residents have detectable levels of the chemicals in their blood.
"This latest paper is the first to address the impact on human fertility, and the results are surprisingly strong," said lead author Kim Harley, associate director of the Center for Children's Environmental Health Research at the University of California-Berkeley's School of Public Health.
“Harley says the chemicals leach into our environment. She says Californians have particularly high levels of PBDEs, most likely because of the state's relatively strict flammability laws.
From the Los Angeles Times:
“PBDEs have been used as flame retardants for four decades. The chemicals are being phased out nationwide, and certain PBDEs have been banned for use in California. But they are still found in products made before 2004.
“Most of the previous research on the chemicals has been in animals. But a 2008 study linked the chemicals to disrupted thyroid levels in men, and a study published this month tied PBDE exposure in pregnancy to neurodevelopmental delays in young children.
“The Environmental Protection Agency banned two of the three mixtures of PBDE developed for commercial use as flame retardants in 2005, and the third version is set to be phased out of production in 2013.
“But the study's authors remained concerned.
"The good news is these chemicals have or are being phased out. The bad news is their legacy will continue because of their presence in a lot of items in our homes," Harley said.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Researchers measured PBDE levels in blood samples taken about 10 years ago from 223 pregnant women in the Salinas, Mexico area who enrolled in a long-term study examining environmental exposures, particularly pesticides, and reproductive health.
The researchers found that the women who were actively trying to get pregnant were half as likely to conceive in any given month if they had high levels of PBDE in their blood. The researchers were able to develop a model that ruled out the effect of pesticide exposure.
Studies suggest that 97 percent of U.S. residents have detectable levels of PBDEs in their blood, levels than are some 20 times higher than people from Europe and Asia, Harley said.
"Every month, it seems, there are new studies linking this class of chemicals to problematic health concerns," said Judy Levin, pollution prevention coordinator for the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland. "A bigger question is why are chemicals allowed to be placed in commerce and into our bodies before their toxicity is fully understood?"
The USA Today story:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/01/study-links-household-chemicals-
to-reduced-fertility/1
The Los Angeles Times story:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-fertility27-2010jan27,0,3698965.story
The San Francisco Chronicle story:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/26/BAJP1BNSTT.DTL
A link to the study itself:
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.0901450