Scientists claim furniture gave woman fatal thyroid cancer

When Juliet Shand developed a gravely voice she didn't think much of it.  The recruitment manager from Kent thought it was a result of her issues with swallowing food and didn't find it necessary to get it checked, the Daily Mail reports.

The 44-year-old decided it was time to see a doctor in April 2016 when she started feeling exhausted and getting join pains. Her GP recommended she have an ultrasound of her thyroid gland after he examined her neck and felt a bump. A few months later Juliet learned she had thyroid cancer.

Cancer Research UK reveals this kind of cancer has increased up to 139% since the 90s. A controversial study by the Duke University claims chemicals used in  fireproofing just may be the cause. Researchers linked flame retardants used to treat sofas and mattresses to a higher rate of thyroid cancer.

They came to this conclusion when they analysed dust samples from homes of  thyroid cancer patients and compared them to a control group. Higher levels of two flame retardant chemicals were discovered in cancer patients' homes. Researchers determined people living with the highest levels of the chemical , decabromodiphenyl were twice as likely to develop thyroid cancer.

However UK scientists say the study was too small to prove its findings and did not show any direct link between the chemical and cancer . The reason for the rising cases in thryroid cancer is due to better imaging that can detect smaller tumours, a Dr Kristien Boelaert, an endocrinologist is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail. He also explains that many people diagnosed show no symptoms of the disease like Juliet's case. The cancer, instead is mostly detected during routine scans for something unrelated.

Juliet's case however was fatal as the cancer was stage T2 and there was a possibility of it spreading to other parts of the body. A few weeks after finding out the results, the mother of two had an operation to remove her thyroid gland. For the rest of her life she has to have a  dose of levothyroxine to replace hormones produced by the thyroid gland everyday.