mmalabanan
You spend a couple of hours in the night sleeping on the mattress. During your free days, you may be lying all day on your sofa watching TV. At times, you like sitting and doing a few activities on your carpet.
While these activities seem harmless, a report revealed that your exposure to these household items may be giving you cancer.
In fact, toxic chemicals used to fireproof sofas, mattresses and carpets are believed to cause the rise in cases of thyroid cancer. Experts believe that families are exposed to these flame retardants through household dust.
“Flame retardants are causing thousands of cancers and other illnesses, with children particularly vulnerable,” said Terry Edge, a former employee at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Scientists from Duke University analysed household dust and took blood samples from people suffering from blood cancer.
Their results showed that patients had a high exposure to Polybrominated Biphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), a flame retardant. While these were banned in 2004, they can still be found in the homes of people who purchased furniture before the banning.
They also discovered that cancer patients showed higher levels of TCEP, which is a flame retardant prohibited 16 years ago.
Both PBDEs and TCEP have been linked with cancer as they interfere with hormones.
