Children Face 'Silent Epidemic' of Brain Disorders due to Exposure to Common Chemical Toxins

Children Face 'Silent Epidemic' of Brain Disorders due to Exposure to Common Chemical Toxins

By Dan DeBaun

Scientists are calling for a global transformation on the regulation of industrial chemicals due to concerns that chemical toxins contained in everyday products may be the cause of a 'silent epidemic' of brain developmental issues in children the world over.

Their findings, which were published in The Lancet Neurology, reveal that over the past seven years, the number of toxins recognized to cause neurodevelopmental disorders in children has in fact doubled – rising from 6 to 12. In 2006 the toxic substances listed were: methylmercury, lead, arsenic, toluene, polychlorinated bipenyls (PCBs). In 2013, fluoride, manganese, tetrachloroethylene, flame retardants, as well as pesticides such as chlorpyrifos and DDT were added to this list. Furthermore, the number of toxic chemicals that are known to cause brain damage, yet are not regulated to offer children protection, has risen from 202 to 214, many of which are found in items used by children on a daily basis, including toys, clothing and furniture.

child bubbles

“Current chemical regulations are woefully inadequate to safeguard children whose developing brains are uniquely vulnerable to toxic chemicals in the environment”, explains Dr Philippe Grandjean from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. “Until a legal requirement is introduced for manufacturers to prove that all existing industrial chemicals and all new chemicals are non-toxic before they enter the marketplace, along the lines of the European Union's reformed chemicals law REACH, we are facing a pandemic of neurodevelopmental toxicity.”

Neurodevelopmental disorders affect one out of every six children all across the world. These brain disorders include: attention deficit disorder (ADHD), autism, cerebral palsy and dyslexia. The evidence is increasingly pointing towards a link between exposure to toxic chemical substances, such as lead, mercury, pesticides and industrial solvents, in the early childhood developmental stages to the growing incidences of brain developmental disorders, suggesting that stricter controls and regulations are needed in order to protect the health of our children. Stricter controls could also amount to huge savings, given that vast sums of money are spent annually to treat children who have been poisoned by chemical toxins – in the United States roughly fifty billion US dollars are spent every year to treat children for lead poisoning and a further five billion US dollars spent on treating children for methylmercury poisoning.

The authors are concerned that this may only be the tip of the iceberg and that a large proportion of all the existing industrial chemicals that are widely used in the USA – amounting to more than 80,000 chemicals – have not been tested to ascertain their effects on a developing fetus or young child. Children in the early development stages are much more vulnerable than adults to brain injury, which only manifests itself later on. The impact of toxic chemicals on children's health has only recently become apparent, but the authors feel that there is grave cause for alarm.

There are two main hurdles that need to be overcome in order to ensure better control of chemicals that pose a health risk to children: Firstly, there are huge gaps when it comes to testing hazardous chemicals for their potential to cause neurodevelopmental damage; and secondly, a substantial amount of proof that confirms that chemicals are in fact toxic is warranted before chemical regulation is enforced.

According to the authors, the only way that we can reduce the risk of children being exposed to hazardous chemical contaminants is by ensuring that developmental neurotoxicity tests become mandatory before chemicals are made freely available on the market. This precautionary approach would facilitate stricter regulation of products that exhibit a potentially severe toxic effect, which could later be relaxed if further evidence proves that these products are less harmful.

The scientists recommend a new international prevention strategy that would put the onus on chemical manufacturers to prove that their chemical products pose little risk rather than it being governments responsibility to prove that they are hazardous before regulations are enforced. They further recommend that chemical products should undergo similar testing to pharmaceutical products, and that a new international regulatory body should be formed to coordinate and speed up these precautionary measures.

They conclude, “The total number of neurotoxic substances now recognized almost certainly represents an underestimate of the true number of developmental neurotoxicants that have been released into the global environment. 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 most seriously in developing countries.”

Considering that many of the toxins that are recognized to cause neurological developmental disorders are commonly found as drinking water contaminants, it would be prudent to take precautions to protect the health of your children by filtering these potential hazards from your drinking water with a good quality drinking water filter that has the capacity to remove heavy metals and chemical toxins, including arsenic and fluoride.

Journal Reference: Grandjean, P. & Landrigan, P.J. Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity. The Lancet Neurology - 1 March 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue 3, Pages 330-338) DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70278-3
Dan DeBaun

Dan DeBaun

Dan DeBaun is the owner and operator of Big Berkey Water Filters. Prior to Berkey, Dan was an asset manager for a major telecommunications company. He graduated from Rutgers with an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering, followed by an MBA in finance from Rutgers as well. Dan enjoys biohacking, exercising, meditation, beach life, and spending time with family and friends.

~ The Owner of Big Berkey Water Filters

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