Could your sofa be making your cat sick?  And is it making me sick, too?

As pet owners, we’re aware that our older cats are prone to developing hyperthyroidism (as well as other problems such as diabetes, arthritis, etc.).  A recent study is shedding light on why hyperthyroidism might be so common in elderly felines, and the reason isn’t just “normal body wear and tear”.

Up until 2004, products called “PBDE"s (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) were commonly used as flame-retardants in all sorts of household items, including carpet padding and furniture foam.  Scientists have discovered that PBDEs naturally “shed” during product usage, and these small particles easily mix with household dust.  The dust can then be inhaled.  A study of a group of cats with hyperthyroidism revealed many of the cats had high levels of PBDEs in their bodies, suggesting that a lifetime of exposure to the flame-retardant particles eventually had taken its toll on the thyroid gland, causing it to go into over-drive.  While this particular study was quite small, previous research on animals concluded that PBDEs can disrupt hormones and damage the nervous system, which is why I assume manufacturers stopped using them two years ago.

It’s certainly food for thought, and a bit unpleasant at that.  If PBDEs do such damage to cats, what sort of damage can they do to children?  What sort of damage have they done to us as adults after a lifetime of exposure?  I developed FMS/CFS and Hashimoto’s Disease (a thyroid disorder) a year after I finished building a new custom home in Albuquerque, and prior to that I’d lived in another brand new home for about four years.  My health improved somewhat while I lived in an older apartment in San Francisco, and I was feeling fairly spry when I lived in a Las Vegas apartment as well.  As soon as Flippy and I moved to our newly constructed home in 2001, and filled it with brand new furniture, my health went downhill and has stayed there.  Now I wonder if so many years of inhaling new carpeting fibers and new paint and new drywall, etc., are what flipped the switch and led to my illness.  If I move to a really old house with old furniture can I cure myself?

I found the original story in the Toronto Star.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 08/17 at 02:28 AM

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  1. New carpet + fresh paint + lots of fresh glue = EVIL.

    I sniffed the couch before we brought it home.  They really thought me weird. I didn’t care.  Jazz would love new carpets. I asked him where he wanted me to live in the year it would take to become tolerable. We are making do.

    Posted by Georg  on  08/17  at  02:07 PM

  2. Thanks so much for sharing this.  I had no clue.

    BTW, I’ve left something for you at:
    http://richardsonzoo.blogspot.com/2007/08/charity-blogger-award.html

    Posted by Cheryl  on  08/20  at  08:05 AM

  3. Our world just seems so filled with chemicals.  No wonder asthma and the like are now so prevelent.

    Posted by Coll  on  08/22  at  06:32 AM
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