The CDC recently reported that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) now affects 1 of every 88 American children— a 23% increase from 2006 and a 78% increase from 2002. CDC also reported that ADHD now affects 14% of American children.
As these disorders continue to affect more children across the U.S., researchers are asking what is causing these dramatic increases. Some of the explanation is greater awareness and more accurate diagnosis. But clearly, there is more to the story than simply genetics, as the increases are far too rapid to be of purely genetic
origin.
The National Academy of Sciences reports that 3% of all neurobehavioral disorders in children are caused by toxic exposures in the environment and that another 25% are caused by interactions between environmental factors and genetics. But the precise environmental causes are not yet known.
To guide a research strategy to discover potentially preventable environmental causes, the Children's Environmental Health Center (CEHC) at Mount Sinai Hospital has developed a list of ten chemicals found in consumer products that are suspected to contribute to autism and learning disabilities. This list was published recently inEnvironmental Health Perspectives. The top ten chemicals are:
- Lead
- Methylmercury
- PCBs
- Organophosphate pesticides
- Organochlorine pesticides
- Endocrine disruptors
- Automotive exhaust
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- Brominated flame retardants
- Perfluorinated compounds
This list was published alongside four papers -- each suggesting a link between toxic chemicals and autism.