Autism and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
by Tiffany
With my introduction to the wolrd of autism a few years back came a slurry of rather disturbing information. First is the extreme rise over the past 30 years, then the attempt to find causation and treatments. From 1993 to 2003 autism diagnoses increased 800%. The million, make that billion, dollar question: “what is causing this increase?”. While much is disagreed upon in the autism community one theory leads the way and that is that autism is like cancer. That is a genetic predisposition component and environmental triggers that can result in something along the pervasive developmental disorder continuum.
What are these environmental triggers? With cancer we know of many carcinogens, with autism it seems fitting to look at known neurotoxins: mercury, lead, various pesticides, endocrine disruptors, and the like. The science and research is still very young (and underfunded) which leaves many unknowns.
If you spend enough time in the research and looking at the numbers it can be a really frightening scenario especially for those about to start a family. The choices that a parent has to make seem to be getting more and more difficult maneuvering through baby bottles, crib mattresses, vaccines, food, personal care products, toys, and even the clothes we bring them home in. While it can be a little startling at first, we as a society have left things unchecked for too long and a little forethought is worth a lifetime of health.
About a month ago I ran into this article on endocrine disrupting chemicals (e.,g. BPA) by Dr. Harvey Karp which draws some conclusions as to their possible roles in autism.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-karp/cracking-the-autism-riddl_b_221202.html
Posted in Autism, BPA (bisphenol-A), Health and Product Safety, Phthalates, Pre-Conception, Toy Safety | No Comments »
Toxic Toys Still on the Shelves
by Tiffany
The 2008 HeatlyToys.org report from the Ecology Center was released yesterday and while there has been progress many toys still contain chemicals of concern. Most disappointing to me is that no one escaped without a product or two falling into the medium or high category. I am, however, especially pleased to see that they have antimony on the radar. Antimony is a catalyst for polyester and #1 plastic. There have been studies that show antimony to leach in to water, but the focus has not yet gone to polyester toys which are chewed and sucked on by infants. Antimony is a known to cause eye, skin, and lung irritation, lung disease, heart problems, diarrhea, liver and kidney damage, and fertility problems; the verdict is still out as to whether it is a carcinogen or if it causes birth defects. The Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ASTDR).
And to complicate things even further is the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act which is a much needed upgrade; however, it does not start to go into effect until February 2009. So many products that will not meet the more stringent standards will be on the shelves through this holiday season. Additionally, it bans several phthalates from use in products for children under 12 but there are many products that are not intended for children under 12 but to which they are exposed. Even more crazy is that that phthalates are not required to be listed in the ingredients and are often in the ubiquitous “fragrance” listed on everything from air freshener to shampoo to face powder to laundry detergent. The most common places in which you will find phthalates are air fresheners, perfume, skin care products, cosmetics, dryer sheets, and anything that lists “fragrance”.
We will make sure to keep you informed so that you can make safe purchases for your children. Below you will find some additional resources to keep you more connected.
Trouble in Toyland 23rd Annual Report
Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database
Consumer Product Safety Commission Recall Email Sign Up
Posted in Antimony, Phthalates, Toy Safety | No Comments »
