Exposure to Toxic Chemicals Causes Autism and Brain Disorders: Study

Over exposure to chemicals during childhood can lower IQ and cause brain development disorders, according to a recent study.

Researchers Philippe Grandjean of the Harvard School of Public Health and Philip Landrigan from New York's Icahn School of Medicine discovered a number of industrial chemicals that are harmful to a child's brain development.

 During an epidemiological review in 2006, six chemicals were identified as "developmental neurotoxicants," they were ethanol, lead, methylmercury, PCBs, arsenic and toluene. After a recent study, six other chemicals - manganese, fluoride, chlorpyrifos, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT), tetrachloroethylene and polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDE) were added to the list.

The researchers found that neurological disabilities like autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and cognitive impairments were caused by over-exposure to these hazardous chemicals.

The study is published in the journal Lancet Neurology.

Grandjean said "We know from clinical information on poisoned adult patients that these chemicals can enter the brain through the blood brain barrier and cause neurological symptoms. When this happens in children or during pregnancy, those chemicals are extremely toxic, because we now know that the developing brain is a uniquely vulnerable organ. Also, the effects are permanent." reports CNN.

Toxic chemicals are found in products of everyday use like dry cleaning solutions, metal cleaners, pesticides and flame retardants. Toothpaste and tap water contain fluoride that helps prevent tooth cavities when used in moderation. Landrigan and Grandjean analyzed 27 studies on children who were exposed to fluoride in high concentrations and found that it increased risk of autism and significantly reduced I Q.

"Our very great concern is that children worldwide are being exposed to unrecognized toxic chemicals that are silently eroding intelligence, disrupting behaviors, truncating future achievements and damaging societies, perhaps more seriously in developing countries," said the authors according to a press statement.

 The study authors suggest the formation of an international authority, which can control the use of chemicals that are harmful to children.

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