Can flame retardants in furniture during pregnancy weaken your child's bones?

What's actually in it

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardant chemicals that were added to furniture foam, electronics, and carpets for decades. Although several PBDEs have been banned or phased out, they break down extremely slowly. Old furniture, electronics, and house dust still contain them. Pregnant women absorb PBDEs from dust, food, and indoor air, and the chemicals cross the placenta into the developing baby.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Int J Hyg Environ Health measured PBDE levels in pregnant women's blood and then followed their children for 12 years. At age 12, the researchers scanned the children's bones to measure bone mineral density.

Children whose mothers had higher PBDE levels during pregnancy had lower bone mineral density as pre-teens. Bone density at this age matters because adolescence is when the skeleton builds most of its lifelong strength. Kids who enter puberty with weaker bones may never reach peak bone mass, setting them up for fracture risk and osteoporosis later in life.

PBDEs likely affect bones by disrupting thyroid hormones and estrogen, both of which control how bones grow and mineralize. The exposure happened before birth, but the effects showed up over a decade later.

Replacing old foam furniture, using a HEPA vacuum to reduce house dust, and keeping rooms well-ventilated can lower PBDE exposure. For nurseries, choosing furniture made after PBDE bans went into effect reduces the risk.