Industrial Chemicals Impair Child Brain Development

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2...6-11-07-09.asp

Industrial Chemicals Impair Child Brain Development

BOSTON, Massachusetts, November 7, 2006 (ENS) - Researchers from the
Harvard School of Public Health and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
have found that 202 industrial chemicals have the capacity to damage
the human brain. They conclude that chemical pollution may have harmed
the brains of millions of children worldwide.

In a new study, the authors conclude that the toxic effects of
industrial chemicals on children have generally been overlooked.

Fetal and early childhood exposures to industrial chemicals in the
environment can damage the developing brain and can lead to
neurodevelopmental disorders - autism, attention deficit disorder, and
mental retardation. Still, the researchers say, there has been
insufficient research done to identify the individual chemicals that
can cause injury to the developing brains of children.

In the study, published online in "The Lancet" today, researchers
examined publicly available data on chemical toxicity in order to
identify the industrial chemicals that are the most likely to damage
the developing brain.

"The human brain is a precious and vulnerable organ. And because
optimal brain function depends on the integrity of the organ, even
limited damage may have serious consequences," says Philippe
Grandjean, adjunct professor at Harvard School of Public Health and
the study's lead author.

One out of every six children has a developmental disability, usually
involving the nervous system, the scientsts said.

Treating neurodevelopmental disorders is difficult and costly to
families and society. In recent decades, a gathering amount of
evidence has linked industrial chemicals to these disorders.

Lead, for example, was the first chemical identified as having toxic
effects to early brain development, though its neurotoxicity to adults
had been known for centuries.

Grandjean and co-author Philip Landrigan, professor at Mount Sinai
School of Medicine, conclude that industrial chemicals are responsible
for what they call a silent pandemic that has caused impaired brain
development in millions of children worldwide.

Today, it is estimated that the economic costs of lead poisoning in
U.S. children are $43 billion annually; for methylmercury toxicity,
$8.7 billion each year.

"Other harmful consequences from lead exposure include shortened
attention spans, slowed motor coordination and heightened
aggressiveness, which can lead to problems in school and diminished
economic productivity as an adult. And the consequences of childhood
neurotoxicant exposure later in life may include increased risk of
Parkinson's disease and other neurogenerative diseases," says
Landrigan.

To protect children against industrial chemicals that can injure the
developing brain, the researchers urge a precautionary approach for
chemical testing and control. Such an approach is beginning to be
applied in the European Union under the new REACH system. It puts in
place strong regulations, which could later be relaxed, if the hazard
were less than anticipated, instead of current regulations that
require a high level of proof.

At present in the United States, requirements for toxicity testing of
chemicals are minimal.

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Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Unfortunately, the chemical industry pays
junkscience.com and ACSH.org to disinform the public on the dangers of
chemicals via their quacky frontgroups.

http://www.BreastImplantAwareness.or...WatchWatch.htm