Research Study

Polybrominated diphenyl ether(s) (PBDEs) have been in widespread use in home construction, furniture, clothing and electronic appliances for decades. PBDEs save lives by giving occupants valuable time to extinguish or escape from a spreading fire, however, with time, they leach into the environment and have become one of the most prevalent of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Concentrations of PBDEs have been increasing in human tissues since their introduction into consumer products. Breast-milk and plasma concentrations of PBDEs are 10 to 100-fold higher in the United States than other countries. Studies of pregnancy tissues indicate that PBDEs are present in amniotic fluid, umbilical cord plasma, umbilical cord tissue, placenta, and fetal membranes. The role of these flame retardants on adverse pregnancy outcomes is understudied, however, some recent reports have shown significant effects on birth weight. PBDEs may affect human health as endocrine disruptors. Overt and subclinical hypothyroidism increases the risk for preterm birth through an unknown mechanism. Furthermore, T4 reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines, reduced inflammation, improved bacterial clearance and survival in animal models of sepsis. We hypothesize that exposure of pregnant women to PBDEs may reduce bioactivity of the T3 and T4 leading to a proinflammatory environment and increasing their risk for preterm birth.