Cat Thyroid Disease Linked To Chemical: Study

An uptick in the prevalence of cat thyroid disease since the 1980s mirrors the uptick in the use of bromated flame retardants, a chemical known by the scientific shorthand PBDEs, according to reports today in the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and elsewhere. Hyperthyroidism, which is often deadly in cats, could be caused by the chemical because it mimics thyroid hormones.

The chemical is used because it effectively slows the spread of flames, and it is used widely in consumer products. It has been a concern among scientists for years, however, because it has been shown to be a ubiquitous contaminant in the environment. It accumulates in body tissues and has been detected in breast milk, though many health studies to date have been inconclusive about its potential effects.

For cats, household dust and fish-flavored cat food appear to be the culprits, according to the Environmental Protection Agency study, which associated the thyroid disease with exposure, but did not draw a causal link. Fish-flavored cat food has high concentrations of PBDE, relative to other foods, because fish accumulate the chemical.

PBDE is one of many so-called endocrine disruptors, chemicals that mimic the body's hormones. Scientists are finding more and more man-made chemicals that act -- like the human body's natural bio-chemical system -- at minute levels in the body. Whether or not scientists will link PBDE exposure to human health problems remains to be seen, but the findings about housecats, which share the same environments that we do, is certainly cause for concern.

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