Research has identified 25 kinds of toxic flame retardant in US breast milk, and all samples contained at least some level of the dangerous chemicals.
The compounds are commonly used in plastic, televisions, appliances and electronics.
The peer-reviewed research also marks the first time a largely unregulated subclass of the flame retardants, called bromophenols, have been found in breast milk.
The chemicals are thought to be potent neurotoxins, especially for developing children, and the findings are “disturbing”, said Erika Schreder, a toxicologist with Toxic Free Future and a study co-author.
“The production and use of these compounds continues, and they are likely to impact children’s health until governments require companies to end their use and switch to safer solutions,” the study’s authors wrote.
25 types of toxic flame retardant found in US breast milk
The researchers, also from Emory University, the University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s Research Institute, checked milk samples from 50 mothers across the US.
Brominated flame retardants are a class of at least 75 chemicals used to prevent combustion in consumer products and electronics.
Some older versions of the chemicals were removed from the marketplace in the 1970s because they were so toxic, and newer iterations have raised health concerns.
Among other issues, many of the compounds are linked to memory impairment, increased impulsivity, impaired motor skills, decreased attention and overall lower measures of intelligence in children.
Some of the chemicals may also be carcinogenic. Humans are exposed to brominated flame retardants when the chemicals break off from the plastics, get in dust, and are either breathed in or ingested.
The European Union and New York recently banned the entire class of brominated flame retardants in electronic displays or enclosures, while the state of Washington this year enacted a wider ban on their use in electronics.