(STUDY FINDS) — RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Amid all the reminders to stay indoors this year, scientists in California are warning about the dangers still inside your home. A new study finds household chemicals, particularly flame retardants, could be contaminating your body right now. Researchers say this is especially dangerous for pregnant women, as their research reveals these chemicals cause offspring to develop diabetes.
PBDEs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are flame retardant chemicals added to everything from furniture, to upholstery, to electronics. Unfortunately, they are released into the air as these items age, allowing them to be inhaled by their owners.
“PBDEs are everywhere in the home. They’re impossible to completely avoid,” says Dr. Margarita Curras-Collazo, a neuroscientist from UC-Riverside in a university release.