Use of flame retardant chemicals coincides with increased incidence of thyroid cancer
Higher exposure to chemicals used to reduce the flammability of furniture, carpets, electronics and other household items appears to be associated with papillary thyroid cancer, according to study conducted by the Duke Cancer Institute and the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.
Reporting April 1 at the ENDO 2017 meeting in Orlando, the Duke research team found a significant association between higher levels of certain flame retardants in household dust and being a patient with papillary thyroid cancer, which is increasing at the fastest rate of any cancer in the United States.
“The incidence of papillary thyroid cancer has risen an average of 7 percent a year in the United States for the last two decades,” said co-senior author Julie Ann Sosa, M.D., chief of endocrine surgery at the Duke Cancer Institute. “At the same time, exposure to flame retardant chemicals has also increased."