Dr. Philip Landrigan of the Mount Sinai Medical Center told the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Friday that more research needs to be conducted on potential environmental causes of autism.
For decades, autism has been believed to be primarily a genetic disorder, but in recent years, scientists have acknowledged that environmental factors such as pesticides and other chemicals also play a significant role in the causes of autism.
Landrigan is one of the leaders of the National Children’s Study, which is expected to identify causes of autism and many other childhood disorders and diseases. The study will “examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21.”
Landrigan has been investigating the effects of environmental toxicants on the development of children since the early 1970s when he determined that even very small levels of lead could affect cognitive ability.
His landmark work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) resulted in the government banning lead from gasoline in 1976 and from paint in 1977, actions that decreased childhood lead poisoning in the U.S. by more than 90 percent.
Landrigan said genetic factors have only been proven to account for a small fraction of the cases of autism, raising the possibility that environmental causes are strongly associated with autism. Landrigan told the IACC that when the complex developing brain is interrupted by environmental insults such as lead, PCBs, or pesticides, it becomes extremely difficult if not impossible to repair.
It has been known for years that environmental toxicants are especially harmful to the developing brains of fetuses and infants, Landrigan said. A 1993 report by the National Academies Press, "Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children," stated that young children are not “little adults,” and they detoxify and excrete chemicals very differently than adults. It has also long been suspected that children with autism are more susceptible to environmental toxicants than other children.
In the April 2010 issue of Current Opinion in Pediatrics, Landrigan published “What causes autism? Exploring the environmental contribution,” and stated that “External exposures such as lead, ethyl alcohol and methyl mercury have been known to have an affect on the developing brain.” He wrote that a strong case exists for a link between environmental exposures in early pregnancy and autism, citing studies implicating certain prescription drugs such as Valproic acid and insecticides such as chlorpyrifos in the disorder.
After his presentation to the IACC, Landrigan told Examiner.com, “Over the last decade, we’ve developed very good scientific information that links three or four classes of chemicals to brain injury in babies if the exposure occurs during pregnancy. We’ve found that phthalates, brominated flame retardants, and certain pesticides are linked to loss of intelligence, attention deficit disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in children.”
Landrigan said he expects future research to link specific chemicals to autism. He told Examiner.com, “As research continues to accelerate as the National Children’s Study rolls out, we probably will over the next decade establish additional credible connections between certain chemical exposures in early life and the development of autism in children.”
Landrigan said the model for the National Children’s Study was the Framingham Heart Study, a large-scale study that started in 1948 that followed a cohort of patients and identified the major causes of heart disease for the first time. It is hoped that the National Children’s Study will accomplish the same for autism and other childhood disorders and diseases.
The National Children’s Study is being led by federal agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the CDC, and is being conducted at hospitals and universities across the country. The study will follow children through all phases of growth and development and examine how they are affected by chemicals and other environmental influences.
More than 200 industrial chemicals are known neurotoxins. Landrigan said the vast majority of the approximately 80,000 chemicals in the environment have not been tested for neurotoxicity. He proposed studying suspect chemicals, especially High Production Volume (HPV) chemicals that pregnant women and children are often exposed to and are likely the source of environmental causes of autism. HPV chemicals are produced or imported in the U.S. in amounts of one million pounds or more per year.
Landrigan told the IACC that there is no credible evidence that vaccines cause autism. He added that there could be a small subset of the population that is affected by environmental toxicants differently than the general population.
When asked about the vaccine controversy, Landrigan told Examiner.com, “What I’ll say to that is that there have been close to a dozen highly credible studies undertaken in the U.S., in Japan, in Great Britain, and in Europe that have looked very diligently using a variety of strategies to try to see if vaccines or any component of vaccines is driving the current situation with autism.
"None of these studies finds any credible evidence for a link between vaccines and autism so I believe at this point in time there’s just no way that anyone can assert scientifically that vaccines or any vaccine component is driving the autism epidemic.”
When asked about a May 2010 House of Representatives report that stated CDC misled the residents of Washington, D.C. about the safety of lead levels in the water between 2001 and 2004, Landrigan told Examiner.com he did not have enough information to comment on it.
Landrigan’s views on environmental exposures in autism can also be seen in the Mount Sinai publication “What’s Getting Into Our Children?” and “Exploring the Environmental Contributions of Autism” in the Autism Speaks blog.
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Comments
Great article. I've done some research on this as well, and totally agree with the notion that there is a link between the incidence of autism and environmental factors.
Thank you for this thoughtful article. This issue is so important for the autism community!
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In 2005 I attended a conference called "Look out for Lead". Phillip Landrigan was the keynote speaker. After his talk he took questions. I expalined to him that the concentration of mercury in multi-dose vaccine vials was 50,000 ug/l, a level 250 times higher than EPA hazardous waste levels. I explained to him that the type of mercury in vaccines, ethylmercury, is a short-chain alkyl mercury compound, the most toxic type. I explained to him that vaccines deliver the toxin quickly to the bloodstream. I explained to him that this material was hundreds of times more toxic than lead. I told him we can't wait for 20 years. We know what the culprit is right now! Why is he ignoring the 800 pound gorilla in the room? As far as I'm concerned, the guy's a complete phony. A coward!
Well first of all no other country vaccinates the same way as the U.S. Second, countries like Denmark have about 1/10 the autism rate as the U.S. Third, these were not quality studies. They are not even science. They are statistical manipulations done by the makers, promoters and administraters (like Mt. Sinai Medical) of vaccines. Phillip Spector has more credibility than this clown!
Dr. Landrigan is definitely a "company man". If he doesn't want to find any evidence for Mercury poisoning of children from the preservatives in vaccines--he definitely knows where NOT to look. "There are none so blind as those who will not see".
All credit to Landrigan for reducing lead poisoning in children by 90 per cent. So how can lead be implicated in the growth in autism if autism rates are rising while exposure to lead is decreasing?
Regarding mercury, which does not feature in the article, but does seem important to some commentators, here in the UK we have always had less exposure to mercury in vaccines and less mandatory vaccines in the childhood schedule than in the USA. Yet reported autism rates in the UK have been increasing at the same or greater rates than in the USA. That is not consistent with a vaccine or mercury induced increase in autism. Whatever the reason it isn't anything to do with vaccines.
Mike, We should be worried about pesticides and lead. I would also add bisphenyl A, aluminum in our vaccines and flouride in our H2O. Unfortunatley, as bad as these all are, non of them can match the assault from ethylmercury in childhood vaccines. Also, if you think lead poisoning is going away, you haven't been paying attention to some of the imports coming into our country. Stuff that dwarfs lead based paint as far as lead concentrations. Another thing. Vaccines contain mercury at a concentration of 50 ug/ml. This is supposeably safe for a 2 month old baby. Now say an adult weighed about 200 lb. The equal dose would be 1000 ug/ml. No one in their right mind would allow themselves to be injected with this.
Dr. Landrigan's work to get lead removed from gas and paint in the 70s has protected millions of kids from having lowered IQs and even brain damage. For that he's a hero. His work for the Nat'l Children's Study to identify chemicals and other environmental toxicants should also lead to findings that will help reduce the risk of autism. Hopefully it leads to more testing of pesticides and other chemicals to make sure they are safe.
As for vaccines, he did say he could not rule out there being a small subset of kids that could be more affected by environmental issues than others. Even if you believe there's a link between vaccines and autism, what he said is correct if you look at his words: "None of these studies finds any credible evidence for a link." One of his main points was that the fetus is very vulnerable to environmental issues. I asked him about aluminum in vaccines. He said, "There’s a whole list of chemicals that people are researching and looking into for the years ahead
All men and women should get tested for heavy metal toxicity before they start having children. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that one out of six women carries unsafe levels of mercury in her blood, putting 630,000 American infants per year at risk for cognitive and developmental damage. Fetuses in particular have the odds stacked against them if they mature in a cesspool of toxins.
Growing up as a young girl in New Jersey in the 1950s and 1960s, I spent a lot of time outside climbing trees. This is exactly when the pesticide DDT was commonly used to kill mosquitoes; I recall trucks spraying the trees on our street every summer.
By researching natural health issues, I learned that common symptoms of pesticide poisoning include an inability to think, poor concentration, hyperactivity, poor coordination, weakness, nervousness, breathing problems, muscle pains, and twitching—the symptoms we associate with a number of neurological disorders, including ADHD. When DDT gets i
Landrigan is no mug. He would be the first to admit that mercury is similar to lead but likely to be much much much worse.
Propaganda tells us that despite the THEORETICAL risk of harm from mercury vaccines that for all purposes mercury has been removed from vaccines to ALLAY fears of those that are worried.
Lets move to FACT. It is now 2010 more than TEN years after we were told mercury is OUT.
In France in 2010 there was a 95 per cent REFUSAL to take flu vaccine because amongst other things it contained mercury in a high a level as EVER.
You can take a horse to water but you cant make it drink;
However while ADULTS are 95 per cent in favour of not receiving mercury our new borns are soaked in the stuff by their parents who BELIEVE that mercury is out.
The consequence is one child in three with NEUROLOGICAL problems long term.
What did they say 2 000 years ago? Mercury TAKES AWAY your mind.
Scientists of the calibre of Landrigan are doing a DISSERVICE to SCIENC
While Landrigan is helping to show harm to everyone he is IGNORING one of the THREE main issues that is causing illness to our children.
Mercury in vaccines is not for debate but for REMOVAL as long long long PROMISED.
ACTION not FALSE PROMISES.
2 000 years of science is ENOUGH to prove mercury takes our minds away and organomercury does it so much better.
T H I M E R O S A L being the ORGANOMERCURY favourite of every vaccine company to take away childrens MINDS.
Landrigan looks to USA, Japan, UK and Europe but not evidently to Rome and Athens of 2 000 years ago when the harm of heavy metals to take away our minds was already known.
Nor does he choos to look to Canada, Calgary or the work of Professor Lorscheider who 13 years ago showed that the very mercury found in vaccines at the very level when evenly distributed throughout a childs BODY let alone brain would destroy the neurons in a babies head.
With all his talent it should be childs play to discover for himself the harm of mercury in vaccines.
Doll got paid 1 500 dollars each day to look the other way. It is known that scientists, politicians and regulators get paid silly sums to be SILLY.
Landrigan is not one of these people and should tell us straight the truth of mercury in vaccines and not rely on those who may be corrupted by money or the REVOLVING DOOR.
It is not accurate to say that phthalates have been linked to brain injury in babies. NO studies have demonstrated a causal link between phthalates and autism, or between phthalates and brain development. Dr. Landrigan dramatically overstates the findings of the existing research on phthalates. To learn more about phthalates, visit www.phthalates,org, a site sponsored by the American Chemistry Council, which I represent.
Dramatic reduction of the content in thimerosal in childhood vaccines has not been followed by a reduction in the apparent prevalence of ASD. In the US, nearly complete removal of thimerosal from the childhood vaccine schedule has been followede by a continued increase in the apparent prevalence of ASD. Simlarly, although thimerosal was banned in Finland in 1992, the incidence of ASD in a nationwide cohort of all children born in Finland between 1987 and 2007 did not track with the exposure to thimerosal. Doh!
PUBLIC SUBMISSION As of: July 28, 2009
Tracking No. 809c7480
Comments Due: June 08, 2009
Late comments are accepted
Docket: FDA-2009-N-0138
Joint Meeting of the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee, and the Anesthetic and Life Support Drugs Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting.
Comment On: FDA-2009-N-0138-0001
Joint Meeting of the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee, and the Anesthetic and Life Support Drugs Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting - Notice of Meeting
Document: FDA-2009-N-0138-0005
Kerry Scott Lane MD - Comment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submitter Information
Organization: St. Mary's Medical Center, W. Palm Beach, FL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Comment
Acetaminophen, Glutathione Depletion, and Regressive Autis
Acetaminophen, Glutathione Depletion, and Regressive Autism
Acetaminophen toxicity in the liver is well established. One of the known toxic
effects of this commonly used drug is depletion of the most important antioxidant,
glutathione. Disease states linked to depletion of glutathione and excessive
amounts of oxidized glutathione, versus reduced glutathione, include Diabetes,
Atherosclerosis, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH), and
others.
Regressive Autism is a condition that has defied a definitive pathobiology to
date. The attachments enclosed reveal that acetaminophen, by exacerbating an
already depleted glutathione antioxidant system due to a preexisting condition,
triggers autism in the peri-vaccination period by reducing glutathione levels to below a critical level. Adequate glutathione levels are crucial to the effective
functioning of the Metallothionein (MT) System. The MT system is involved in metabolism of metals, as is glutat
Adequate glutathione levels are crucial to the effective
functioning of the Metallothionein (MT) System. The MT system is involved in
metabolism of metals, as is glutathione. However, the MT system is especially
critical to the metabolism of Zinc in the brain. In states of depleted glutathione and
excess oxidized glutathione, free Zinc is released in brain cells. This free zinc is
toxic to the mitochondria, causing cellular hypoxia and a generalized neurological
malfunctioning that we now recognize as Autism.
It appears acetaminophen alone is not enough to cause Autism. The co-morbid
pathobiology is due to the creation of a state of abnormal gastrointestinal biology
due to antibiotic administration to the infant. This allows the replacement of the
normal GI flora with yeast overgrowth by Candida species and others. Many yeasts and fungi produce mycotoxins which have been shown to be pathological to man and animal alike.
Recently interest has focused on a mycotox
Recently interest has focused on a mycotoxin known as Gliotoxin which has
been shown to be immunosuppressive, by killing CD4 cells, along with a multitude
of other deleterious effects. Gliotoxin has been shown to form adducts with
glutathione, essentially removing it from the pool of bioavailable antioxidants. Over
fifty per cent of Candida species have been shown to produce Gliotoxin.
If we envision a sequence of events that results in an undesirable yeast in the GI
tract, causing a depletion of glutathione and generalized oxidative stress, followed
by a vaccination that includes a metal adjuvant (mercury or aluminum), followed
by the administration of acetaminophen (antipyretic) to an infant- at a critical
period of neurodevelopment- we can envision the pathobiology of Autism.The enclosed attachments from peer-reviewed articles are a roadmap to the above described pathobiology. I suggest the FDA make this material public so the autism can stop ASAP.
Kerry Ss Lane M
If you took the time to study what is happening at the biochemical level, you would KNOW that the research shows these kids are susceptible to ANY amounts of toxins. Mercury was REDUCED in vaccines NOT removed and in many cases Aluminum in shots was INCREASED. We STILL have mercury (the "trace" amounts in shots are high enough to be classified as hazardous waste AND the flu shots which have been added to the schedule have the FULL amount of mercury in them) and we beefed up the amount of other neurotoxins in the shots.
PLUS kids now get 36 shots by the time they are 18 months old.
PLUS our environment is FULL OF toxins at "acceptable" levels... we need to stop looking at the "acceptable amount" of cadmium on a McDonald's glass and consider that a child is exposed to THAT glass, and other amounts in toys, and lead in mom's lip stick, and mercury in her mascara, and crap in the air, water, etc --THIS ALL ADDS UP.
How can you consider toxins in the air and ignore the ones injecte
The very LEAST Lanigan should have done is publicly support pending federal legislation to fund a scientific, independent study of "vaccinated vs. unvaccinated" populations to ascertain .. ONCE AND FOR ALL .. if BOTH populations have suffered the same, inexplicable, dramatic increase in chronic autoimmune diseases that were far less common in ALL previous .. less vaccinated .. generations.
Give me a break .. DO THE DAMN STUDY.
....and is Landrigan and the whole lot seem to forget how lethal Mercury is...the term where "Mad as a Hatter" came from......in the 18th century milliners used mercury to bind the felt fibers in the making of hats....the FUMES, and just the fumes mind you, were then inhaled and most if not all milliners, who were adult males, not children, over time, went mad.......
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