Industrial Chemicals May Be a Cause of Autism
Fetal and early childhood exposures to industrial chemicals in the environment can damage the developing brain and can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs)—autism, attention deficit disorder (ADHD), and mental retardation. Still, there has been insufficient research done to identify the individual chemicals that can cause injury to the developing brains of children.The press release goes on to cite researchers as recommending stronger laws in support of testing and regulating industrial chemical emissions.In a new review study, published online in The Lancet on November 8, 2006, and in an upcoming print issue of The Lancet, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine systematically examined publicly available data on chemical toxicity in order to identify the industrial chemicals that are the most likely to damage the developing brain.
The researchers found that 202 industrial chemicals have the capacity to damage the human brain, and they conclude that chemical pollution may have harmed the brains of millions of children worldwide. The authors conclude further that the toxic effects of industrial chemicals on children have generally been overlooked.
Do you have personal knowledge of industrial chemicals that may be causing autism? Can you recommend ways to take action on this issue? Let us know!
References:
"Developmental Neurotoxicity of Industrial Chemicals," The Lancet, November 8, 2006- Vol. 368.
Philippe Grandjean, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Marian Perez, MPH, Project Coordinator, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. "Potentials for exposure to industrial chemicals suspected of causing developmental neurotoxicity."
Comments
Very happy to see this. I’ve always known that my son’s problems are beyond something inherited. We can’t point to people in the family with poor social skills or trouble with language, etc. It may well be, however, that environmental causes were a culprit beginning before birth which then caused him to be more sensitive to events (such as vaccines) after birth could be responsible.
On a different note, I wonder about the effects of hormones on the developing brain. When looking back on all the things that went wrong during my pregnancy with Jalen and his birth, I remember that my early pregnancy hormones were not rising as expected. At one point the doctors told me they needed to do a D&C because the hormone level indicated I could not have a viable prengancy — or that I might have a tubal pregnancy. Interesting.
Cynthia
As the director of an organization educating about toxic chemicals in everyday life and products and on healthier alternatives, I have made this topic one of my major concerns. Several parents that I have spoken to personally have had the experience of dramatic improvement in their children’s conditions after removing questionable chemicals from their classrooms. Some of these might be cleaning products, permanent markers, pesticides, fragrance chemicals). I’m now in the process of collecting more information, both academic/medical research and personal stories, as part of our upcoming 2008 Kids & Toxics Information Exchange project.