Last month, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published a report identifying one dozen common chemicals (listed below) known to disrupt brain development and cause brain damage, neurological abnormalities, reduced IQ, and aggressiveness in children.9, 10 The authors call for the implementation of urgent preventive strategies to quell the trend of brain damage, stating: We postulate that even more neurotoxicants remain undiscovered. To control the pandemic of developmental neurotoxicity, we propose a global prevention strategy. Untested chemicals should not be presumed to be safe to brain development, and chemicals in existing use and all new chemicals must therefore be tested for developmental neurotoxicity. To coordinate these efforts and to accelerate translation of science into prevention, we propose the urgent formation of a new international clearinghouse. What many dont realize is that there are literally tens of thousands of chemicals in use that have never been tested for safety. When the US National Toxicology Program was enacted in 1978, some 62,000 chemicals that were already in use were simply grandfathered in, even though theyd never been tested for toxicity. The ramifications of this action is now becoming increasingly evident, and with regular intervals we realize that yet another prevalent chemical is causing harm that no one ever suspected. Bisphenol-A (BPA), used in plastic products, is just one of the most recent examples. Lead (processed chocolate, gasoline, paint, toys, batteries, pipes, pottery, roofing materials, and cosmetics) Methylmercury (organic mercury found primarily in fish) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (fish, especially farmed fish) Arsenic(a common contaminant in fluoride added to water supplies. Also found in wood preservatives and pesticides) Toluene (paint thinner, fingernail polish, and leather tanning) Manganese (drinking water and soy infant formula) Fluoride (fluoridated tap water, dental products, some antibiotics and medicines, tea, processed foods, and drinks) Chlorpyrifos (an organophosphate insecticide used in pest bait containers) Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) (a pesticide banned in 1972 that still persists in the environment, including in the food chain) Tetrachloroethylene (PERC)11 (dry-cleaning fabrics and metal degreasing operations) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (flame-retardant chemicals found in upholstery, mattresses, clothing, television, and computer housings) Ethanol
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 11:00:11 +0000