Guest guest Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Harvard School of Public HealthA silent pandemic: Industrial chemicals are impairing the brain development of children worldwide ----------------------- "The brains of our children are our most precious economic resource,and we haven't recognized how vulnerable they are," says Grandjean."We must make protection of the young brain a paramount goal of public health protection. You have only one chance to develop a brain." --------------------------Boston, MA -- Fetal and early childhood exposures to industrialchemicals in the environment can damage the developing brain and canlead to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs)--autism, attention deficitdisorder (ADHD), and mental retardation. Still, there has beeninsufficient research done to identify the individual chemicals thatcan cause injury to the developing brains of children.In a new review study, published online in The Lancet on November 8,2006, and in an upcoming print issue of The Lancet, researchers fromthe Harvard School of Public Health and the Mount Sinai School ofMedicine systematically examined publicly available data on chemicaltoxicity in order to identify the industrial chemicals that are themost likely to damage the developing brain.The researchers found that 202 industrial chemicals have the capacityto damage the human brain, and they conclude that chemical pollutionmay have harmed the brains of millions of children worldwide. Theauthors conclude further that the toxic effects of industrialchemicals on children have generally been overlooked.To protect children against industrial chemicals that can injure thedeveloping brain, the researchers urge a precautionary approach forchemical testing and control. Such an approach is beginning to beapplied in the European Union. It puts in place strong regulations,which could later be relaxed, if the hazard were less thananticipated, instead of current regulations that require a high levelof proof. At present in the U.S., requirements for toxicity testing ofchemicals are minimal."The human brain is a precious and vulnerable organ. And becauseoptimal brain function depends on the integrity of the organ, evenlimited damage may have serious consequences," says PhilippeGrandjean, adjunct professor at Harvard School of Public Health andthe study's lead author.One out of every six children has a developmental disability, usuallyinvolving the nervous system. Treating NDDs is difficult and costly toboth families and society. In recent decades, a gathering amount ofevidence has linked industrial chemicals to NDDs. Lead, for example,was the first chemical identified as having toxic effects to earlybrain development, though its neurotoxicity to adults had been knownfor centuries.A developing brain is much more susceptible to the toxic effects ofchemicals than an adult brain. During development, the brain undergoesa highly complex series of processes at different stages. Aninterference--for example, from toxic substances--that disrupts thoseprocesses, can have permanent consequences. That vulnerability lastsfrom fetal development through infancy and childhood to adolescence.Research has shown that environmental toxicants, such as lead ormercury, at low levels of exposure can have subclinical effects--notclinically visible, but still important adverse effects, such asdecreases in intelligence or changes in behavior.Grandjean and co-author Philip J. Landrigan, Professor at Mount SinaiSchool of Medicine, compiled a list of 202 environmental chemicalsknown to be toxic to the human brain using the Hazardous SubstancesData Bank of the National Library of Medicine and other data sources.(The authors note that the list should not be regarded ascomprehensive; for example, the number of chemicals that can causeneurotoxicity in laboratory animal tests exceeds 1,000.)The authors then examined the published literature on the only fivesubstances on the list--lead, methylmercury, arsenic, PCBs andtoluene--that had sufficient documentation of toxicity to thedeveloping human brain in order to analyze how that toxicity had beenfirst recognized and how it led to control of exposure. They found asimilar pattern in how the risks of each substance were documented:first, a recognition of adult toxicity and episodes of poisoning amongchildren, followed by a growing body of epidemiological evidence thatexposure to lower levels of the substances caused neurobehavioraldeficits in children."Even if substantial documentation on their toxicity is available,most chemicals are not regulated to protect the developing brain,"says Grandjean. "Only a few substances, such as lead and mercury, arecontrolled with the purpose of protecting children. The 200 otherchemicals that are known to be toxic to the human brain are notregulated to prevent adverse effects on the fetus or a small child."Grandjean and Landrigan conclude that industrial chemicals areresponsible for what they call a silent pandemic that has causedimpaired brain development in millions of children worldwide. It issilent because the subclinical effects of individual toxic chemicalsare not apparent in available health statistics. To point out thesubclinical risk to large populations, the authors note that virtuallyall children born in industrialized countries between 1960 and 1980were exposed to lead from petrol, which may have reduced IQ scoresabove 130 (considered superior intelligence) by more than half andincreased the number of scores less than 70. Today, it's estimatedthat the economic costs of lead poisoning in U.S. children are $43billion annually; for methylmercury toxicity, $8.7 billion each year."Other harmful consequences from lead exposure include shortenedattention spans, slowed motor coordination and heightenedaggressiveness, which can lead to problems in school and diminishedeconomic productivity as an adult. And the consequences of childhoodneurotoxicant exposure later in life may include increased risk ofParkinson's disease and other neurogenerative diseases," says Landrigan.The researchers believe that the total impact of the pandemic is muchgreater than currently recognized. In supplementary documentation (seebelow for a link), about half of the 202 chemicals known to be toxicto the brain are among the chemicals most commonly used.Testing chemicals for toxicity is a highly efficient public healthmeasure. However, less than half of the thousands of chemicalscurrently used in commerce have been tested to assess acute toxicityand, although new chemicals undergo more thorough testing, access tothe data may be restricted because companies fear exposing proprietaryinformation. Also, current toxicity testing rarely includesneurobehavioral functions."The brains of our children are our most precious economic resource,and we haven't recognized how vulnerable they are," says Grandjean."We must make protection of the young brain a paramount goal of publichealth protection. You have only one chance to develop a brain."###To view supplementary documentation on industrial chemicals and risksof toxic effects on brain development, http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/neurotoxicant/appendix.docSupport for this research was provided by the Danish Medical ResearchCouncil, the (U.S.) National Institute of Environmental HealthSciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.See the latest news from the Harvard School of Public Health.Harvard School of Public Health is dedicated to advancing the public'shealth through learning, discovery, and communication. More than 300faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 900-plusstudent body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the healthand well being of individuals and populations around the world.Programs and projects range from the molecular biology of AIDSvaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to violenceprevention; from maternal and children's health to quality of caremeasurement; from health care management to international health andhuman rights. For more information on the school visit:www.hsph.harvard.edu"In conclusion, vaccines are a perfect manifestation of everything that is satanic. They represent an adulterous and arrogant tampering with divine creation, based on the intellectual conceit of "perfecting" creation. They are poisonous, containing derivatives from metals such as mercury and aluminum, and from formaldehyde. They are made from the cell lines and viruses of biblically unclean animals such as monkeys, cats, etc. Worst of all, they are made from the cell lines of premeditatedly murdered children. " Bob Sperlazzo Christian Digest 11/29/2002 Luggage? GPS? Comic books? Check out fitting gifts for grads at Search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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