In a small pilot study of 20 families, the researchers found that in 19 of the families the levels of PBDE, a hormone-disrupting chemical, were about three times as high in the children as in their mothers. The study was carried out by taking blood samples from mothers and their children aged 18 months to 4 years.
Researchers from EWG said they expected similar levels of PBDE in mothers and babies because of typically similar diet and exposures in the same household. However they found that the kids on average had three times the levels of toxic retardants polluting their blood compared to their moms.
The chemicals are potentially hazardous, especially to young brain development. In laboratory tests on mice, researchers have found that a dose of PBDEs given on a single day when the brain is growing rapidly can cause hyperactivity and other changes to behavior.
