PBDEs are a group of biphenyl ether compounds with different numbers of bromine atoms, commonly used as halogen-free flame retardants in household goods. We already know that these substances are harmful to health. A new study in the UK has found that exposure to PBDEs during pregnancy can harm a child’s intelligence, causing a decrease in intelligence.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, analyzed data from nearly 3,000 mother-daughter pairs worldwide and found sufficient evidence to support the impact of PBDEs on intelligence. This study, published in the Journal of Environmental Status Observation, emphasizes that the more pregnant women are exposed to PBDEs, the lower the IQ of their children. Every tenfold increase in the concentration of PBDEs in a mother’s body reduces the child’s IQ by 3.7 points.

Researchers say that a reduction of 3.7 points in intelligence may not seem like much, but from the perspective of the entire population, it means that many more children need early intervention, and their families may face personal and economic pressure as a result.

In the 1970s, PBDEs began to be widely used in California, USA, due to the fire safety standards of some products such as furniture. With more and more evidence showing the harmful effects of PBDEs on the body, starting in 2003, California and some other states in the UK have successively approved the prohibition or phased discontinuation of some of the most commonly used PBDEs.

Scientific researchers say that although restrictions and control measures have been issued for PBDEs, the problem still depends on people’s contact with them. This halogen-free flame retardant is easily attached to dust, discarded furniture, and electronic products, continuously released into the natural environment, and eventually entering the food and human body, with children facing the greatest risk.

In addition, the cumulative effects of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) with other harmful compounds present in building materials, insecticides, and other products may cause a serious organic chemical mixture effect, which is currently not considered within the scope of environmental protection policies and regulations.