The Environmental Working Group reported on Thursday that a fire retardant chemical was found in children’s blood at triple levels found in their mothers. The retardant chemical is usually used in electronics, toys and furniture but the researchers tested blood samples of 20 families, searching for the PBDE, a hormone-disrupting chemical.

Mothers accompanied by their  children aged between 18 months to four years were tested for the presence of the chemical and in 19 of the families the researchers discovered that the PBDE levels were higher in children than in their mothers. One of the children had six times the level of PBDE that was found in his mother.

The author of the study, Sonya Lunder, said that for them, the scientists, “, this raises concerns that kids live very differently in the same environment than their parents do and those kid-like behaviors put them at risk for contaminant exposure."

She explained that the children are much more exposed to this type of chemical because they spend too much time putting their hands on their toys and put the household items in their mouths. All these pieces of furniture contain the chemical so they get intoxicated without the parents even knowing that the danger exists.

The PDBE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) is a hormone-disrupting pollutant that builds up in the blood and tissues. Deca is the form under the PBDE is found in electronics. This is forbidden in European electronics and only in some states of the U.S.

The chemical can have serious effects on children because their brains can grow rapidly if they are given the chemical each day. This can cause permanent behavior changes and a high hyperactivity, as the study showed.