Do Toxins Cause Autism?
Rosemary Stephen’s Recommended read: Kristof , N. Do Toxins Cause Autism? (2010) The New York Times. (On-line). Cited 2010 Feb 25. Read the article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/opinion/25kristof.html.
The US CDC reports that autism affects almost 1% of American children. First identified in 1943, this medical condition has created a lot of tension between parents of autistic children and the medical field. In 1998, we were led to believe that vaccinations were linked to autism, but recently it has come to light that this is not the case [1]. Incidents of autism are, however, on the rise [2], so the question becomes – what is causing this increase ?
Mr. Nicholas Kristof, in his article entitled “Do Toxins Cause Autism?”, discusses the increasing suspicion that environmental toxins are the root cause of autism as well as the cause of some forms of cancer. Kristof looks at peer reviewed work published this year [3] and at the recent work by Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, a professor of pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the chairman of the school’s department of preventive medicine; Dr. Landrigan is increasingly confident that our daily exposure to various environmental chemicals “affects the brain as it is being formed ”and that “If babies are exposed in the womb or shortly after birth to chemicals that interfere with brain development, the consequences last a lifetime.”
The author also mentions that toxicologists, endocrinologists and oncologists are uneasy about environmental chemicals. They believe it is time to look very closely at these chemicals and study how their effects on humans in general. One major concern is phthalate [4]. Phthalates are found in plastic containers, especially those coded 3, 6 and 7 and in personal products containing found in fragrances, shampoos, cosmetics and nail polishes.
Mr. Kristof presents an interesting summary of the issues and I agree with his statement that “we need accelerated research, regulation and consumer protection”.
Rosemary Stephen PMed, (cert) EOH, IPM
Elements: Environmental Health Intelligence
References:
[1] Kristof , N. Do Toxins Cause Autism? (2010) The New York Times. (On-line) Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/opinion/25kristof.html. Cited 2010 Feb 25
[2] Ibid. Cited 2010 Feb 25
[3] Weeks, Carly, Study that Linked Autism and Vaccinations Retracted. Globe Health, Health and Fitness, Globe and Mail, Feb. 03, 2010. Available: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/study-that-linked-autism-and-vaccinations-retracted/article1454629/. Cited 2010 March 8.
[4] Engel SM, Miodovnik A, Canfield RL, Zhu C, Silva MJ, Calafat AM, et al. 2010. Prenatal Phthalate Exposure is Associated with Childhood Behavior and Executive Functioning. Environ Health Perspect :-. doi:10.1289/ehp.0901470. Available: http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.0901470#abstract0. Cited 08 March 2010.
