Consensus of 50 Scientists: Children's Brains Must Be Protected From Everyday Neurotoxins -

[AikidoSoul]

1 IN 6 CHILDREN NOW HAVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES!

http://www.iceh.org/pdfs/LDDI/LDDIConsensusPressRelease2-08.pdf


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
CONTACTS: Elise Miller, MEd - [phone]; [e-mail]
Steve G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT – [phone]; [e-mail]
PRESS RELEASE ICEH CONSENSUS STATEMENT: http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html

Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI)

Publishes Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Factors

February 20, 2008, Seattle, WA. The Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative published today the Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (available at http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html).

This statement, signed by more than 50 scientists and health professionals nationally and internationally, summarizes the latest science about environmental contaminants associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disabilities and developmental delays.

The statement, which has a glossary and over 200 references, was drafted and reviewed by a prestigious committee of scientists and health professionals based in North America. They concluded: “Given the established knowledge, protecting children from neurotoxic environmental exposures from the earliest stages of fetal development through adolescence is clearly an essential public health measure if we are to help reduce the growing numbers of those with learning and developmental disorders and create an environment in which children can reach and maintain their full potential.”

“We know enough now to move on with taking steps to protect our children. This document pulls that knowledge together to further this vital effort," said reviewer Martha Herbert, PhD, MD, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and a pediatric neurologist with subspecialty certification in neurodevelopmental disabilities at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Other researchers on the review committee underscored the cost-savings, policy-related and ethical implications of this consensus statement.

“We could cut the health costs of childhood disabilities and disease by billions of dollars every year by minimizing contaminants in the environment,” said Phil Landrigan, MD,MSc, of the Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “Investing in our children’s health is both cost-effective and the right thing to do.”

“The overwhelming evidence shows that certain environmental exposures can contribute to life-long learning and developmental disorders,” noted Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, with the Science and Environmental Health Network. “We should eliminate children’s exposures to substances that we know can have these impacts by implementing stronger health-based policies requiring safer alternatives. Further, we must urgently examine other environmental contaminants of concern for which safety data are lacking. ”

“The proportion of environmentally induced learning and developmental disabilities is a question of profound human, scientific and public policy significance,” said lead author Steven G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT, of the Institute of Neurotoxicology & Neurological Disorders, “and has implications for individuals, families, school systems, communities and the future of our society. The bottom line is it is our ethical responsibility to ensure all children have a healthy future.”

This document is designed for researchers, health professionals, health-affected groups, environmental health
and justice organizations, policymakers and journalists to use as a resource for understanding and addressing
concerns about links between environmental factors and neurodevelopmental disorders.


see:

http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html

This needs to be covered by the mainstream press!

[derby378]

1. Very interesting...

Thanks for sharing!

[AikidoSoul]

3. Spread the word -- pass this around.

It's an important development.

[jhain]

61. off to a few hundred people now

thanks for this.

[AwakeAtLast]

2. Gotta give this a K

and an R! :kick:

[AikidoSoul]

4. and a shameless K from the OP

[scarletwoman]

5. k&r (nt)

[LibertyorDeath]

6. Thanks for this

Our 3 year old son was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

It's heartbreaking but you can't dwell on it.

He's such a great kid were getting him the best help we can.

1 in 6 is an epidemic



Rec!

[AikidoSoul]

8. 1 IN 6 IS AN EPIDEMIC for sure

I'm sorry that your son is one of them.

When you get time, be sure to go to this web site

http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html

and see the knowledge base and resources provided by this linkage of scientists.

There is a great push now by many researchers to get this out in the public arena -- in the forefront of public discussion. There has been too much suppression of science regarding ubiquitous neurotoxins. Your own house probably has many of them and you don't even know it.... i.e., fragrance materials, pesticides, chemicals in carpeting, paint, solvents, aerosols of various types (the propellants are often neurotoxic), etc.

My best to you and yours in handling this with love and care.

[LibertyorDeath]

17. Thanks AikidoSoul

Will check out the link...

[AikidoSoul]

19. And here is excellent advice for parents on specific items to avoid

entitled, "SAFEGUARDING OUR CHILDREN AT HOME: Reducing Exposures to Toxic Chemicals and Heavy Metals "

It lists many types of products and substances to avoid:

http://www.iceh.org/pdfs/LDDI/ZeroToThreeArticle2005_11.pdf

<<<<<<<<<<<SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>

Many common pesticides contain potent neurotoxins that can impact the nervous systems and brains not only of pests, but of humans as well. Exposures to pesticides have been linked to learning, behavioral, and developmental disabilities (Schettler et al., 2000).
Recent scientific studies also link pesticides to immune system problems (World Resources Institute, 1996) and to reproductive disorders (Tremain, 2004). Acute pesticide poisoning can also create many health problems (U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, 2004c).

In 2001, more than 1.2 billion pounds of the active ingredients in pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides were used in the United States (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004d). These chemicals were applied on land (agricultural fields, golf courses, sports fields, playgrounds,roadsides, gardens, and lawns), in homes (professional exterminations and carpet treatments, flea sprays and dips for dogs and cats),inside schools and community buildings (professional exterminations and carpet treatments, pressure-treated or CCA lumber), on bodies (head lice treatments, insect and tick repellants), and on food (during cultivation on farms as well as after
harvesting to deter fungal growth during shipping.

PBDE

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, known as PBDEs, are synthetic, flame-retardant chemicals that are added to some fabrics and plastics during the manufacturing process.

The different kinds of PBDEs have various uses: Penta-BDEs are added to mattresses and foam cushioning in upholstery, while octaBDEs are used in business equipment,automobile trim, telephones, and kitchen appliance casings. DecaBDEs are used in electronic enclosures, such as wire insulation, televisions, and computers (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2004). DecaBDEs
are also used as a fabric treatment and coating on carpets and draperies, although they are not used on clothing (Washington State Deparment of Ecology, no date).

Although we don’t have clear evidence about the health effects of PBDEs in humans, a number of harmful effects have been shown in animal studies.

• PBDE exposure before and after birth caused problems with brain development in mice. Studies have observed problems with learning, memory, and behavior (Gill, Chu, Ryan, & Feeley, 2004).

• Exposure to PBDEs during development can decrease thyroid hormone levels in mice (Gill et al., 2004). Appropriate levels of thyroid hormone is essential for healthy brain development, and decreases in thyroid hormone may contribute to problems with brain and
nervous system development (Mazdai, Dodder, Abernathy, Hites, & Bigsby, 2003).

• PBDEs also harm reproductive systems, immune system performance, and the liver in mice and rats (Gill et al., 2004; Kuriyama, Talsness, Grote, & Chahoud, 2005).

PBDEs are very similar in molecular structure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which were banned in the 1970s because of their health effects, particularly on the neurological system. PCBs continue to persist in our environment; the primary source of exposure for children is eating high-fat foods, particularly meat and dairy, some fish, and drinking water in some areas of the U.S.

The European Union and some U.S. states are banning PBDEs as a precautionary measure and promoting materials that are natural
flame retardants.

Plastics

Some chemicals used in plastics found in everyday products have been shown to adversely impact the reproductive and neurological systems. Two chemicals of particular concern are: • Bisphenol A (BPA): BPA was invented in the 1930s and is used today as a plastic coating for children’s teeth to prevent cavities; as a coating in metal cans to prevent the metal from contact with food contents; as
the plastic in food containers; refrigerator shelving; baby bottles; water bottles; returnable containers for juice, milk, and water; micro-wave ovenware; and eating utensils (Colborn, Dumanoski, & Myers, 1996).

Other exposures result from BPA’s use in “films, sheets, and laminations; reinforced pipes; floorings; water main filters; enamels, varnish, and adhesives; artificial teeth; nail polish; compact discs; electric insulators; and as parts of automobiles, certain
machines, tools, electrical appliances, and office automation instruments” (Takahashi & Oishi, 2000).

Recent studies have linked BPA exposure to reproductive abnormalities, neurobehavioral problems, and prostrate and breast cancers. (vom Saal & Hughes, 2005)

• Phthalates: Phthalates are a class of widely used industrial compounds. About a billion pounds per year are produced worldwide. Primarily used to soften plastics, they are found in a wide range of products, including: polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring; newborn intensive care unit I.V. bags; children’s toys; and car seats. That “new car smell” is in part the odor of phthalates; they
become volatile when the car interior heats up. When the interior cools down, phthalates condense to form an oily film on the inside windshield.

Research now suggests that exposures to phthalates may have particularly adverse impacts on the reproductive system, including male genital malformation (associated with testicular cancer and impaired fertility), reduced sperm count, and premature breast
development in girls (Colón, Caro, Bourdony, & Rosario, 2000; Swan, et.al., 2005). Studies also link phthalates in household dust and eczema and asthma. (Bornehag, et al., 2004).

Solvents and Other Volatile Organic Compounds

Solvents are volatile liquids that are used to dissolve other materials. They are highly volatile, converting readily from liquid to gas at room temperature. Solvents occur in products we use or are exposed to everyday: alcohol, glues, paints, cleaning products, aerosols, air fresheners, moth repellents, dry cleaning fluids, varnishes, gasoline, thinners, and degreasers. Our bodies easily absorb them through direct skin contact or respiration: when inhaled, they pass quickly through mucous membranes and lungs
into the bloodstream (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004a).

Many health risks are associated with solvent exposure: throat and lung irritation upon inhalation; dizziness; unconsciousness; and in some very rare cases, death. Solvents have also been linked to various cancers and neurological problems. Exposure in the womb may result in birth defects and sometimes miscarriage (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004a).

Specific solvents include: • Alcohol: rubbing alcohol (a disinfectant); beer, wine, and cocktails. • Toluene: in spray paints, glues, nail polish, carpet spot removers, varnish, and lacquers. • Butane: in cigarette lighters and in fuel. • Benzene: in gasoline and in cigarette smoke. • Perchloroethylene: in dry cleaning.

A REFERENCES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (1999). ToxFAQs for lead. Retrieved from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (2004). Public health statement for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Retrieved from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs68-pbde.html
Bornehag, C. G, Sundrell, J., Weschler, C. J., Sigsgaard, T., Lundgren, B., Hasselgren, M., & Hägerhed-Engman, L. (2004). The association between asthma and allergic symptoms in children and phthalates in house dust: A nested case-control study, Environmental Health Perspectives, 112 (14), 1393–1397.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005). Lead in candy: Questions and answers. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/
faq/candy.htm
Colborn, T., Dumanoski, D., & Myers, J. P. (1996). Our stolen future. Retrieved from: http://www.ourstolenfuture.org
Colón, I., Caro, D., Bourdony, C. J., & Rosario, O. (2000). Identification of Pthalate esters in the serum of young Puerto Rican girls with premature breast development. Environmental Health Perspectives, 108, 895–900.
Commission on Life Sciences. (2000). Executive summary of toxicological effects of methylmercury. Retrieved from http://books.nap.edu/books/0309071402/html/1.html#pagetop
Finkelstein, Y., Markowitz, M. E., & Rosen, J. F. (1998). Low-level leadinduced neurotoxicity in children: An update on central nervous system effects. Brain Research Reviews, 27(2),168–176.
Gilbertson, M. (2004). Male cerebral palsy hospitalization as a potential indicator of neurological effects of methylmercury exposure in Great Lakes communities. Environmental Research, 95(3), 375–384.
Gill, U., Chu, I., Ryan, J. J., & Feeley, M. (2004). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers: Human tissue levels and toxicology. Review of Environmental Contaminants and Toxicology, 183, 55–97.
Harvard School of Public Health. (2004). Prenatal exposure to mercury from a maternal diet high in seafood can irreversibly impair certain brain functions in children. Retrieved from http://www.mercurypolicy. org/new/documents/HarvardRelease020604.pdf
Holmes, A. S., Blaxill, M. F., & Haley, B. E. (2003). Reduced levels of mercury in first baby haircuts of autistic children. International Journal of Toxicology, 22(4), 277–285.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<,SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[elleng]

20. Libertyor,

my college=age daughters are studying special ed and autism, so we've got a new generation about to tackle such matters. They will be among 'the best help we can,' I promise!

BEST of luck!

[AikidoSoul]

21. There will be plenty of work for them

with 1 in 6 children having developmental disabilities.

As a DUer I suspect you are probably more open minded than most people. For that reason I highly recommend that you encourage your daughters to read the materials that are in this link. Controlling environmental exposures to neurotoxins is an almost impossible task beause they are ubiquitous, are not properly assessed, and of course they are barely regulated in the U.S. -- unlike in Europe. Plus there are just too many of them. They are everywhere.

To avoid them one must actively play a role and concentrate on replacing them with safter materials.

I hope you will pass these links and resources onto your daughters.

Congratulations for having daughters who work in this challenging field that requires so much of them intellectually and emotionally!

[elleng]

33. AikidoS, I will send them the info.

(Sometimes I'm afraid I send them too much stuff, but there's a lot around these days!)

The schools they attended (private and parochial, in DC area) were aware and eager for such info. I mention this because of the debate today, here and elsewhere, and do want to agree with you that its not easy to find compliant situations.

And, having observed them as I have, I don't think they'll be happy outside of such challenging situations. Thanks; that's the way they are.

[varkam]

7. It passes the stink test.

I haven't had time to read all of it, but I skimmed to the section on mercury and lo-and-behold it doesn't state that mercury causes autism (or at least not mercury in vaccines). It doesn't really draw any conclusions on mercury, actually...

[Pale Blue Dot]

10. Thanks for posting your opinion.

I trust it. :thumbsup:

[varkam]

11. It's not my opinion.

It's the scientific consensus.

[Pale Blue Dot]

13. It meant that it's your opinion that it "passes the stink test".

I'm not a scientist; I'm being honest when I say that I value your opinion on this, because I know that you're a skeptic.

[varkam]

22. Ohhhh..I getcha...

Sorry. I'm in la-la-land :crazy:

[AikidoSoul]

14. It's not just mercury -- it's many different neurotoxic substances

And hopefully you don't disagree that mercury is toxic to the brain and central nervous system. There is no scientific argument about that. Perhaps what you meant is that you are concerned that Thimerosal would be raised here by name.

Further on after the press release is a link that takes you to a page with this title (among others):

Mercury Brochure Released

The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), the National Education Association (NEA), and The Arc of the United States recently released a brochure that identifies mercury pollution as one of the greatest threats facing developing fetuses, infants and young children. This publication also shows parents how exposure to this potent neurotoxicant can adversely affect their child's learning potential. You can read the press release:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 14, 2005
CONTACT:
Joel Finkelstein (w) 202.887.1345 (c) 202.285.0113
=======================
Leading Education, Learning Disability Advocates:
ALERT ISSUED TO PARENTS LINKING TOXIC MERCURY AND LEARNING
DISABILITIES
WASHINGTON, DC – The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), the National
Education Association (NEA), and The Arc of the United States today released a brochure that
identifies mercury pollution as one of the greatest threats facing developing fetuses, infants and
young children. This publication also shows parents how exposure to this potent neurotoxicant
can adversely affect their child's learning potential.

Mercury air pollution poisons the nation's lakes, rivers and oceans. Coal-fired power plants are
the nation's largest uncontrolled source of mercury. Mercury contamination in fish across the U.S
is so pervasive that health departments in 45 states and U.S. territories have issued food
consumption advisories for freshwater and coastal fish. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
and EPA specifically warn pregnant women, women of childbearing age, nursing mothers, and
young children to limit their consumption of fish.

"Mercury can impair, damage, and even destroy functioning nerve tissue – much like lead," said
Dr. Larry Silver, past president of the Learning Disabilities Association of America and clinical
professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center. "This brochure is designed to
help parents identify the causes of mercury pollution and the dangers associated with this toxic
chemical."

The brochure, designed for parents, explains where mercury comes from, provides food
consumption advice, offers ways to help stop mercury air pollution at its source, and helps
parents identify clues to learning disabilities. The brochure is available online at
www.ldaamerica.org and www.thearc.org.

"At the National Education Association Health Information Network, we recognize that health
issues affect a child's readiness to learn," said Jerald Newberry, Director of the NEA Health
Information Network. "That's why it's important to give parents – a child's first teacher – access
to information to help them make the right decisions from the very start. This brochure provides
vital information to parents – especially pregnant women – on steps they can take to prevent
exposure to mercury. It also offers simple tips to help parents identify and get assistance if their
child has a learning problem."

A learning disability is neurobiologically based and affects the ability to read, write, speak,
and/or compute math. It also often interferes with the ability to build social relationships. A
learning disability is a life long disorder that affects the manner in which individuals with normal
or above average intelligence select, retain and express information. Incoming or outgoing
information may become scrambled as it travels between the senses and the brain.

"As many as 10% of the school-aged population may have learning disabilities," said Jane
Browning, Executive Director of LDA. "More than 50 percent of all students in public school
special education programs have been diagnosed with dyslexia, auditory processing disorders,
and other learning disabilities. Even though these are smart and sometimes even gifted students,
they often fail in school and must struggle with their learning disabilities throughout their entire
lives."

Mercury poses the greatest hazard to the developing fetus because it passes easily through the
placenta and impairs the development of the brain and nervous system. When the fetus is
exposed to mercury through maternal fish consumption, neurodevelopmental effects may unfold
as the child grows. Infants may appear normal during the first few months of life, but may later
display subtle effects.

Children and infants may be more sensitive to the effects of mercury because their nervous
systems continue to develop until about age 16. Children also have higher mercury exposures
than adults because a child eats more food relative to his or her body weight than an adult does.
As a result, children have a higher risk for adverse health effects.

"We know that in extreme cases mercury can cause intellectual disabilities, such as mental
retardation, which can require lifelong supports," said Leo Berggreen, President of The Arc of
the United States, an organization working to include all children and adults with cognitive,
intellectual, and developmental disabilities. "The Arc of the U.S. will do whatever we can to get
this vital information into the hands of parents-to-be. We hope the EPA can be counted on to
protect all developing babies from exposure to lifelong harm. In the meantime, we intend to get
information to expectant parents so they can protect their children themselves."

"In just a few short days, the Bush administration will issue its final mercury rule," said Martha
Keating, Senior Scientist with the Clean Air Task Force. "Let's hope that they finally got it right
and that this rule will actually protect America's children. We watched with dismay the
inordinate amount of influence the big energy companies have exerted so far. We hope EPA's
final rule demonstrates they have put health and science above politics."
To see the brochure immediately, go to www.mercuryhurts.org

[varkam]

24. I'm not saying that mercury isn't toxic...

What I am saying is that the mercury contained within vaccines (ethyl mercury) is not toxic (at least not at the concentrations that are present in vaccines) and does not cause developmental disorders such as autism. It's a favorite refrain of some folks, and it's not in line with the science.

[AikidoSoul]

30. The toxicity of ethylmercury is not well studied

so the jury is still out in several areas.

I do agree that it appears to be less toxic than methyl mercury. Also, it does not seem to be store in the body as readily as does methyl mercury. We still do not know how ethylmercury interacts with many of the other chemicals that children are exposed to.

My greatest personal concerns are about the pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.

You would perhaps be surprised at how many household products they are impregnated into ...

Even textiles such as clothing, sheets, carpeting, curtains, mattresses, etc. It just keeps off-gassing into the indoor environment 24 / 7.

Kids breathing this stuff takes it up the nose into the olfactory and directly into the brain where it readily stores in the fat-like cells.

Even by eating the stuff -- it can end up stored in the brain.

[varkam]

31. According to the most recent studies...

the half-life is ethylmercury is much shorter than methylmercury which is what the EPA guidelines are based on and so using EPA guidelines for ethylmercury is probably very conservative in terms of safety.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but even things that are snorted still have to cross the blood brain barrier, correct?

[AikidoSoul]

32. It's better to eat a little bit of pesticide than to breathe it...

There is no blood / brain barrier via the nose

Researchers who discuss pesticide entry into the body via inhalation, say that in terms of detoxification, it is generally less immediately harmful to eat small amounts of pesticides than to breathe them.

The rationale being that with oral dosing the kidneys and liver have a chance to work to break down the chemicals somewhat.

When breathed however, the chemicals quickly get into the lungs,bloodstream and brain. Since pesticides are brain and central nervous system poisons, when they are breathed into the nose, they have a direct path to the brain via the olfactory. There is no blood / brain barrier via that pathway.

But nobody is recommending that we eat pesticides.

Please note that in the study abstract below, pyrethroid pesticide buildup was demonstrated via oral dosing and yet some pesticide still managed to migrate to the brain.

Excerpt from study (link and summary below):

"Some 83% of DLM in blood was present in the plasma. Just 0.1 - 0.3% of systemically-absorbed doses
reached the brain, the target organ of the bioactive parent compound. Fat, skin and surprisingly,
skeletal muscle, accumulated large amounts of the highly lipophilic chemical and served as slow-release
depots."

***********************************************
National Institute of Health (PubMed)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18056584

Toxicokinetics and Tissue Distribution of Deltamethrin in Adult
Sprague-Dawley Rats

Kim KB, Anand SS, Kim HJ, White CA, Bruckner JV.

Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy,
The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Toxicol Sci. 2007 Dec 3

The objectives of this study were 2-fold: (1) to characterize the
toxicokinetics and dose-dependent systemic/tissue distribution of
deltamethrin (DLM) over a range of doses in adult Sprague-Dawley (S-D) rats;
(2) to provide comprehensive time-course blood and tissue data for
development of a physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model for DLM.
DLM is one of the more neurotoxic members of a relatively new and
commonly-used class of insecticides, the pyrethroids. Despite widespread
exposure of the general population to pyrethroids, there is little basic TK
data to use in health risk assessments or in development of PBTK models.
Male S-D rats were dosed orally with 0.4, 2 or 10 mg DLM/kg dissolved in
glycerol formal. Another group received 2 mg/kg iv. Serial blood and tissue
samples were taken at sacrifice and analyzed by HPLC for their DLM content,
in order to obtain comprehensive time-course data sets for estimation of
classical TK, as well as PBTK parameters ( e.g., tissues:blood partition
coefficients). Gastrointestinal (GI) absorption of DLM was rapid but
incomplete. Bioavailability was just 18%. Some 83% of DLM in blood was
present in the plasma. Just 0.1 - 0.3% of systemically-absorbed doses
reached the brain, the target organ of the bioactive parent compound. Fat,
skin and surprisingly, skeletal muscle, accumulated large amounts of the
highly lipophilic chemical and served as slow-release depots. Tissue
distribution was dose-dependent, though generally not proportional to dose.
Clearance was dose-independent in this dosage range. The time-profiles were
used by Mirfazaelian et al. (2006) to construct and adjust a PBTK model.
Much remains to be learned about physiological/biochemical processes and
barriers that govern the GI absorption, transport, brain deposition, and
elimination of DLM and other pyrethroids in laboratory animals and humans.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18056584&itool=pubmed_DocSum

PMID: 18056584

******************************

More on the ubiquitous pyrethroid -- fat loving pesticides:

Commonly used pesticide found to be accumulating in bodies, brains, fat, skin, and even muscle

Pyrethroid pesticides have been found to be bioaccumulative as reported in the Centers for Disease Control report, Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. CDC found these chemicals building up at faster rates in children's bodies than in adults.

http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/

Pryethroid pesticides are used widely in America's offices, homes, hospitals, in mosquito control and in schools. Spraying is most often done on a routine monthly schedule whether or not pests are actually present. Spraying is often the only method of pest control. According to SHHPS* by the CDC, less than 25% of our schools use some form of Integrated Pest Management (when practiced properly it is the least toxic type of pest control).

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/shpps/index.htm

At this time no federal law exists to protect children against pesticide exposures in schools.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, toxic chemicals are now causing developmental disorders in 1 in every 6 children (see "A Silent Pandemic: Industrial Chemicals Are Impairing the Brain Development of Children Worldwide").

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/press11072006.html

Neurological diseases in children are increasing every year.

*************************************************
* About SHPPS: SHPPS is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and programs at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. Comprehensive results from SHPPS 2006 are published in the Journal of School Health, Volume 77, Number 8, October 2007

[AikidoSoul]

34. Snorting drugs or chemicals is the fastest and most efficient way

to get the effects.

[Karenina]

39. And reading this thread is the fastest and most efficient way

to get up-to-speed on the issue! :applause: THANK YOU!

[mzmolly]

48. But the accumulation in the brain of ethylmercury is greather than with methylmercury.

This too, according to "the most recent studies".

[AikidoSoul]

51. Mz. Molly if you have something to share

about that I would appreciate it.

And... you know what? This data gap situation is exactly why there is such an epidemic of developmental disorders and environmental illness at this point in our country's history. We have a regulatory system that basically says that chemicals are innocent until proven guilty, and there is almost zero effort made to determine safety before marketing. Drugs have comparatively more data -- but egregiously, the huge number of man-made chemicals on the market today have huge data gaps.

In Europe it's different. Chemicals must be proven safe BEFORE marketing.

There are many cosmetics in Europre for example which are banned but marketed here.

RE: ethylmercury -- the only thing I could lay my hands on quickly was an old 1981 research item that I don't have access to at this moment:

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0091-6765(198106)39%3C131%3AIOACWS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z

[mzmolly]

58. I'll dig for it. I think it's in my journal. BRB.

:hi:

[mzmolly]

60. Here is some info Aikidosoul.

The average brain-to-blood partitioning ratio of total Hg in the thimerosal group was slightly higher than that in the MeHg group (3.5 ± 0.5 vs. 2.5 ± 0.3, t-test, p = 0.11). Thus, the brain-to-blood Hg concentration ratio established for MeHg will underestimate the amount of Hg in the brain after exposure to thimerosal.

The large difference in the blood Hg half-life compared with the brain half-life for the thimerosal-exposed monkeys (6.9 days vs. 24 days) indicates that blood Hg may not be a good indicator of risk of adverse effects on the brain, particularly under conditions of rapidly changing blood levels such as those observed after vaccinations. The blood concentrations of the thimerosal-exposed monkeys in the present study are within the range of those reported for human infants after vaccination (Stajich et al. 2000). Data from the present study support the prediction that, although little accumulation of Hg in the blood occurs over time with repeated vaccinations, accumulation of Hg in the brain of infants will occur. Thus, conclusion regarding the safety of thimerosal drawn from blood Hg clearance data in human infants receiving vaccines may not be valid, given the significantly slower half-life of Hg in the brain as observed in the infant macaques.

There was a much higher proportion of inorganic Hg in the brain of thimerosal monkeys than in the brains of MeHg monkeys (up to 71% vs. 10%). Absolute inorganic Hg concentrations in the brains of the thimerosal-exposed monkeys were approximately twice that of the MeHg monkeys. Interestingly, the inorganic fraction in the kidneys of the same cohort of monkeys was also significantly higher after im thimerosal than after oral MeHg exposure (0.71 ± 0.04 vs. 0.40 ± 0.03). This suggests that the dealkylation of ethylmercury is much more extensive than that of MeHg.

More at link: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/7712/7712.html

[AikidoSoul]

62. Good work MzMolly!

Here is a quote from a chemically injured physician with whom I have regular contact. His comment is about claims that mercury allegedly "disappears" from the body -- or at least from the blood, which like the hair is a poor measurement of mercury levels:

"But where does the mercury disappear TO? For years, I had normal hair and serum mercuries. Only when my physician ordered an intracellular, packed red cell mercury, did he find that my mercury levels were 15 times the upper limit of the "reference range" at Genova Laboratories. Oral chelation slowly using the supplement Chelex (no financial interest) has greatly reduced by chemical sensitivities. I suspect that the mercury has been in my body for decades, coming from immunizations and dental fillings. So not finding it elevated in blood may be different than not finding an elevated intracellular mercury. I have sent the following inquiry to Genova Diagnostics in hopes of gaining clarification on this:

Dear Genova,

In this month's Pediatrics, there is an important article which asserts that infants receiving thimerosal injections did not retain the mercury in their blood. The url for this article is
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/121/2/e208?submit.y=8&submit.x=78&gca=121%2F2%2Fe208 &

Below is the method used for mercury in blood:

Cold-Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrophotometry
Mercury levels in blood and urine were determined by cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry (CVAFS) using the Millennium Merlin/Galahad system (PA 10.035; P Analytical Ltd, Orpington, Kent, United Kingdom). The limit of detection in blood was 0.01 ng/mL, depending on sample volume, or 100-fold lower than the method used in the pilot study.8 CVAFS determinations measure total mercury, including ethyl or methyl mercury, and inorganic forms. The accuracy of the method for blood was assessed by using blood Seronorm 201605 (Seronorm, SERO, Billingstad, Norway) and for urine using urine Seronorm 20125 as the reference material. Total blood mercury determinations were performed in Rochester, NY, and all samples were coded and assayed by the laboratory without awareness of either the cohort or the order of sampling (before or after vaccination).


My question to Genova is: Could low blood mercury levels by the cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectophotometry occur in an individual with a high packed red cell mercury tested by the Genova method?"

It's a very good question, and so when he gets his answer, I will keep you posted. :hi:

[CoffeeCat]

54. Is it possible that the ethylmercury in these vaccines...

...is harmful (and causes autism and other disorders) in *some* children who are not able
to process or eliminate these substances from their bodies--as efficiently as some children?

I can understand why the scientific research doesn't support a causal relationship between
vaccines and autism. It's not like the causal relationship between exposing an unlit match
to fire. However, could it be that some children *are* affected by the ethylmercury in
thimerisol in vaccines, and that this could possibly be causing some disorders, including
autism?

I'm not trying to be a alarmist. I'm just very curious about all of this.

I wouldn't outright dismiss the notion that ethlylmercury is vaccines is harmful; any more
than I would automatically insist that it is harmful. As a mom--I'm paying attention
and very curious.

I do appreciate your opinion.

Not to complicate matters even further, but I'm skeptical about "EPA guidelines"! Isn't that
terrible? I've seen government screwing up nearly everything. Government agencies, which are
supposed to provide oversight, appear to be filled with people who are protecting corporations
and profits--more than they are, America's children and citizens. I've seen Bush fill these
organizations with corporate kow towers who are not interested in protecting the American people.

Really, what is a parent to do?

[AikidoSoul]

56. The concept of "causal relationship" is industry's best friend

because it is one that is nearly impossible to prove.

The jury is out on ethylmercury and it will probably be decades before there are certainties in areas of concern.

That is one of the main problems -- we are exposing ourselves to both novel man-made chemicals, and to new man-conceived drugs with novel combinations of substances. They are hitting the markets within a tiny time frame in terms of human history.

So... within the past 60 plus years we have essentially been part of a big exposure experiment which is very difficult to control. In fact, it is out of control.

[CoffeeCat]

53. Do you know why mercury...

...is in vaccines at all?

If it's present as a preservative or for some other reason--aren't there other substances that could
serve those purposes?

The government is well known for lagging far behind--in identifying potential health threats (lead
in paint, DDT, etc).

You can understand why parents are skeptical.

[kimmerspixelated]

66. The last time I conceded to a flu shot for my daughter

because they said she had MVP-(but it has since gone away), they said you could request a mercury free vaccine, and we did, at least I hope we got what we asked for. I would definitely think something else could be used to preserve them, but I have become an advocate for not vaccinating(at least at this time)- so I am not likely to come across info.

[AikidoSoul]

82. Yes, there are safer preservatives

and I have no idea why the chem/pharm industry didn't use the safer ones instead of the ethylmercury preservative. It would be a good queston to ask them.

[truedelphi]

9. Although unfortunately this document might have had a far

greater impact if it hadn't been left in "scientese."

Most parents, even if they took time to read this, are not going to know that by buying and using Glade, Lysol and Febreeze style products, they are exposing their children to formaldehyde, benzene, and endocrine disruptors.

It would be nice if there was material in the document that spelled out where these dreadful products that are now inhabiting our bodies are coming from. Most Americans ar enot working in a factory anymore - they are buying products that aerosolize the harmful chemicals. They spray them all over their homes due to the advertising telling them that their home needs to smell like the artificial equivalent of a meadow or pine forest.

[AikidoSoul]

15. Liability prevents them from naming particular products

It's a shame too because the public is almost totally unaware that most of the 80,000 plus chemicals on the market have not been tested for chronic, low level exposures and health effects. There are very few synthetic chemicals on the market that I would trust because we keep discovering more problems with them every year.

If it were just a few products, or just a few chemicals it would possibly be tolerable. But 80,000 plus... and then all of the combinations which could increase toxicity. These have not even been considered for testing -- except when purposefully used to create more toxic products such as pesticides. In those cases synergistic chemicals are used that increase toxicity many times.

I pity the parent who has to wade through all this.

A good rule is to clean with white vinegar, baking soda, BonAmi -- and other simple products.

For pesticides don't use the petrochemical solvent types -- only uses baits and gels.

NEVER use aerosol sprays of any kind.

And synthetic fragrances --- many of them contain very dangerous chemicals that can harm the brain.

[truedelphi]

16. And the advertising dollars that the products have behind them

Mean taht the news stations are never going to mention it on TV news.

We couldn't get rid of cigarette products until the advertising for it was banned.

[AikidoSoul]

18. Exactly

and what makes it even more powerfully difficult is that the very same companies that make neurotoxic chemicals that go into pesticides, aerosols, fragrances, cleaning agents, degreasers, and a wide variety of other products -- these same companies also produce pharmaceuticals.

These are the most politically powerful, most corrupt, and by the way -- most profitable companies in the world.

Watch the nightly news and notice -- how many ads do you see paid for by the chemical / pharmaceutical companies?

Most of them! Of course they have influence over the news!

When we tried to get the CBS and NBC news producers to report on various types of chronic illnesses that were most likely triggered by chronic, low level exposures to synthetic chemicals -- the network producers told us the advertisers threatened to pull their ads.

The same thing happened when Nickolas Regush was the science / medical investigative reporter for ABC News With Peter Jennings (for ten years). After repeatedly having his chemical injury reports rejected because of advertisers' protests, Regush resigned in anguish and disgust.

He subsequently started his own web based science/ medical magazine that SPECIALIZED in these issues. Two years later he died suddenly of a heart attack -- just prior to a major international conference that he had organized in New York City with scientists, doctors, researchers and scientists from all over the world to discuss the toxic connection to chronic illnesses.

He never had previous heart issues and I've always wondered about what really happened to Nick. He was in his early fifties and in excellent health.

[truedelphi]

52. I relate to your suspicions

When reporting for The Coastal Post, I had an incident occur one time when reaching for the back bedroom's phone.

I felt like I was caught in a weird magnetic field - luckily I was jerked *away* from the phone.
I lay limply on the floor for about five minutes until slowly my body came back to life.

My son's comment was, "Mom, you're such small potatoes - why would they bother?"

But the Powers that be always need to test things on people - and are they really going to wait until perhaps someone becomes big potatoes? I think they have their numeric quotas - and clearly the morality of loss of life doesn't play a factor - not at all. (Witness the many who died with Wellstone as an example - two pilots, two staff, and two family members.)

The first two women to become agitated about the voting manipulations in the state of Florida (way back in the 1970's) died of rare cancers.

[teacher gal]

12. kick n/t

[dysfunctional press]

23. the more "developmental disabilities" they discover, the more kids that have them...

gee- whouda thunk?

for instance- when i was a kid NOBODY had ADD HDAD or any of the like.

[Warpy]

25. They had it, they just got labeled assholes

and self medicated with alcohol as soon as they could see over the bar.

The ADD kids quit school at 16 and went into whatever work they could find. Lacking reading skills, they generally drifted toward the mill work jobs that aren't around any more.

The overall prognosis was pretty grim because they were always behavior problems and went from job to job unless their daddy had a lot of money, in which case they ended up with do nothing charity jobs from dad's friends.

[dysfunctional press]

41. i know they had it- i was one of them.

my point is- as they "discover" more conditions, of course they'll find kids with those conditions, so the more reasons they discover, the more developmentallly disabled kids they'll find as well.

[Warpy]

44. Exactly

All kids who didn't fit in and/or couldn't seem to learn were simply labeled "retarded," something that must've hurt like hell. Most of those retarded kids had a lot on the ball. One of my best friends through high school was "retarded." As long as it didn't involve academics, she could run circles around most people. Nobody could figure out why a brainiac was hanging out with her. Well, that's why.

One of the most rewarding students I ever tutored had severe dyslexia. She had managed to teach herself how to write, but she couldn't read what she had written, bizarre. However, there was a brilliant mind in there. With a combination of talking books and me to supply line by line dissection of modern poetry, she caught on to all the allusions and was occasionally way ahead of me in understanding much of it.

She was labeled retarded and put in remedial classes that did her absolutely no good. She told me she fought to learn how to write so that she wouldn't be sent to an institution, something that had been a constant threat. Once she got evaluated as an adult and got appropriate teaching strategies, she raced through her GED and was well on her way to an academic college degree.

As we continue to describe more of these phenomena and develop strategies to cope with them, more kids who were languishing in despair and rejection are going to find their voices and learn how to succeed.

[Mythsaje]

70. My best friend is/was severely dyslexic.

He was in special ed all through junior high and high school. Behind all that there's a brilliant mind stifled by his own limitations. He's become an avid reader, though, and his intelligence showed through in gaming sessions back in our D&D and Infinity gaming days. Though he tends to be a little more conservative than I am in some respects, I've been behind him for years to consider running for a local office of some kind.

The trick I've found with many "disabilities" is to find a way around them, to do as much as possible to negate them by concentrating on related strengths. I'm a writer, but I can't do higher math at all. My brain doesn't seem to 'get' sequencing.

Both of my kids have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. From contact with several such diagnosed people in the past, I find that with the right motivation, these people can be helped to hyper-focus in specific directions that interest them the most, and their disability can be overridden by one of its own symptoms.

Nothing is set in stone and the human mind is almost infinitely malleable.

[AikidoSoul]

71. The costs to society

are quite high. There is also the problem of extreme disabilitiy, not the functional ones that we like to hear about.

Neurotoxins are also shown to lower IQ, and to cause chronic disease.

I agree that there are many miracle kids out there. There are also many very sick and/or disabled ones who break their parent's hearts.

[Mythsaje]

72. We've surrounded ourselves with chemicals,

most of which we have never bothered to adequately test. All we can do is educate people to the dangers, help those who can be helped, and take care of those who cannot.

[dropkickpa]

73. That is the coping method my family uses

We were al labeled "hyperactive" as kids, but the drugs available at the time were horrible, so my parents taught us how to harness some of the characteristics we had and succeed. That hyper-focus is how I'm able to churn out papers, presentations, reports, etc is a relatively short amount of time. It also allows me to shift gears very quickly to get multiple tasks done, from conducting implementation meetings, scientific consulting, employee managing, etc. I've found that a multi-faceted management-type position surprisingly really suits me.

My computer looks like a disaster area at most times, I'll have 8 different windows/projects open at any time, but that's how I function best.

If I had the type of job where I did just one single task all day long every day I'd go absolutely bonkers. In fact, I've had those types of jobs in the past, and I quit them very quickly.

[Mythsaje]

74. I think there's some evidence to suggest

that ADD and ADHD isn't really so much a disability as a different way of seeing and interacting with the world, one that has its upsides, if managed correctly.

[dropkickpa]

75. Oh yeah

I firmly believe that behavioral/occupational therapy geared towards HARNESSING rather than suppressing a lot of the tendencies would be invaluable to a lot of kids.

[Mythsaje]

79. I've watched my eldest go into hyper-focus mode

and been amazed at the result. He's got this fascination with pokemon and naruto and he can name every one and their powers. It's good practice for sorting other kinds of information. Gaming did a lot for me and several other people I know. A good game-master can teach a lot of different things all at once.

[AikidoSoul]

81. I wish it was so simple -- kids with ADHD have less brain volume than other kids (4)

and this was most likely caused by exposure to toxicants like pesticides and solvents. Realize that certain chemical exposures like pesticides and solvents, can actually shrink the brain.(3)(5)(6)

The view that ADHD is a "different way of seeing and interacting with the world" is one shared by many parents who don't want to drug their kids for a condition that may be manageable by non-drug interventions.

I'm with you on this. Avoid the drugs if at all possible.

Coping with this problem is especially possible when it is a mild case not complicated by other factors. Under those circumstances many parents try a variety of interventions, but one in particular has been especially helpful for many kids and adults with this problem.

That intervention is to eliminate (to the degree humanly possible) exposures to excitotoxins and incitants in the child's indoor air, food and outdoor environment (eliminate pesticides, fragrances, solvents, food coloring, food additives, gluten, etc.). Many children improve greatly after doing so.

But here's where it gets even more complicated.

Scientists who study chemical injury suspect that ADHD is but one component of brain injury and is often accompanied by other chronic health, behavioral, learning and developmental problems.

People like myself for example, have chemical injury that has several components. One is severe hyperactivity and attention problems when I'm exposed to solvents or pesticides.

I wasn't like this as a child or teenager, and neither was my spouse. Our ADHD began at exactly at the same time in our adult lives and was triggered by chronic, low level exposures to organophosphate pesticides from an adjoining building over a period of months. At the time we had no idea that we were being exposed.

The exposures occurred in the early nineties. Not only did we get ADHD, but we also got Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Chemical Sensitivities, and Toxic Encephalopathy. Months into the exposures we noticed that we had become highly sensitized to solvent type chemicals in our environment which wreaked havoc on every organ system in the body. They continue to do so -- except that we control our exposures much better now, more than ten years later.

We found that if we could avoid solvent-like chemicals (in air and food) we enjoyed good health --but as soon as we were exposed again our health would worsen immediately.

What is so stunning is that the solvent / pesticide exposures always start with the red flag of our brains going into a fog. We become aware that we were having difficulty concentrating --often accompanied by hyperagitation, aggression, and mood swings, sometimes even including rage.

The brain fog and agitation is like a big red flag -- as soon as it starts we look around to see if we can find something new in our indoor environment. Sometimes it is something we brought in from the store, like plastic packages that readily absorb and off gas fragrances or pesticides. Sometimes it turns out to be coming from the outside air if someone is treating their lawn -- or if the mosquito control truck is out (we are affected even from drift coming from miles away). These exposures are hard to control so we moved to a remote area and purchased several acres. It's still hard to control the outdoor air..even with tight gaskets around the doors and windows. And it's becoming more toxic every year.

Organophosphate pesticides are especially bad actors. Used as chemical warfare agents (SARIN, TABUN, SOMAN) and in pesticides, they're linked to serious brain conditions and chronic illnesses. Commonly used in popular pesticides (such as Dursban, Clorpyrifos, Diazinon, Spetracide, Lorsban -- and about 800 other products) they are implicated as one of the main toxic triggers in Gulf War Illness, Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. (1) (2)

Many researchers have long suspected that toxic chemicals play a role in triggering ADHD in many individuals. One clue to this is the fact that organophosphate pesticides have been found to injure the neurons of the brain -- actually reducing its volume (3)(4)(5). And it so happens that one of the curious differences seen in ADHD children compared to controls, is that they have smaller brains. "And the greater the severity of a child's symptoms, the greater the discrepancy in the size of various brain areas, as measured on brain scans..." (4)

But after nearly five decades after organophosphates were first marketed as pesticides and after tens of thousands of reports and complaints, Congress finally passed a law that was supposed to protect children. It required that industry test organophosphates to see how they affect undeveloped brains.

Think about that for a moment. You have a powerful nerve poison -- a neurotoxin, and yet there previously was no testing required to show brain effects. So if you or your children are damaged, you have zero legal recourse because there is almost no data to really prove anything, one way or the other. The burden of proof is on you.

Scientific certainty is almost never achieved, and therefore it's not good to take a chemical injury case to court. The constant of scientific uncertainty regarding the health effects of man-made chemicals, is industry's best friend.

Pesticides are still registered without adequate testing for chronic health effects. The main testing requirement is for efficacy (does it kill the pest o.k?) and for the acute effects, known as the LD50 (how much of the stuff does it take to kill a rat?). Chronic, low level exposures by breathing, is not conducted even though it is the most common route of exposure.

In the late nineties the chemical / pharmaceutical industry was told by Congress that it must test the organophosphates (also called organophosphourous compounds or OPs) if it wanted to keep them on the market. Instead of producing the science, industry decided to remove many of the OPs from the home market -- but many remain, through deals made later.

Gulf War Illness vets are another interesting group because many of them have been shown to have brain damage. Vets were exposed to organophosphate nerve poisons and a range of other toxicants, depleted uranium, vaccines, and experimental shots such as pyridistimine bromide which is a chemical also found in carbamate pesticides. Vets were found to have between 10 and 25% less of a signal chemical in their blood that signifies a loss of brain cells from the basal ganglia and brain stem. The lower the level of the signal chemical, the more severe the symptoms. (6). Vets suffer from a wide range of ailments including but not limited to cognitive difficulties and neurodegenerative diseases.

New on the scene (more than a decade now) we have pyrethroid pesticides (a/k/a permethrin) in our homes, schools, mosquito control, etc., which has largely replaced OPs for many uses. Like the OPs before them, they were allowed into widespread use with no testing to show brain effects.

Now that data are showing pyrethroids bioaccumulationg rapidly in children's bodies (they accumulate readily in fat, muscle, skin, and brain tissue) there is some concern, but the science is being actively suppressed. (7)

What makes it worse is that pyrethoids are impregnated into almost everything that we come in contact with every day! Its in animal feed, food containers, ink, and a wide array of other products (8) including widespread use in textiles such as clothing, bedsheets, uniforms, carpeting, etc., (9) (10) (11) (12) where they off-gas continually into our environment.

Even if you wash sheets and new clothes when you first buy them it will not help get rid of these neurotoxicants. Military studies show that pyrethroid pesticides persist in cloth even after 30 washings! (13)

What else does this kind of damage? The jury is out and will probably be out for many, many decades because of our shameful, industry controlled regulatory system. Our policy seems to be "if you don't know, it can't hurt you."

Only a tiny handful of the 85,000 plus chemicals on the market have even been tested for neurotoxicity let alone brain damage!

If only the public know how deceitful these companies are. A good example of this is how they label their pesticides, calling most of the ingredients "inert ingredients". According the the N.Y. Attorney General's Office, "Unfortunately, many people will conclude from the term "inert" that such ingredients could not possibly have any adverse health or environmental effects. This is not the case at all. The chemicals used as inerts include some of the most dangerous substances known." (14)

And remember, the same chem/ pharm companies that make huge profits from these toxic, under-regulated chemicals, are the very same companies that manufacture pharmaceuticals. That means when our love ones get sick, that we need to then go buy their drugs to "manage" their illnesses.


What a business plan!


***********************

(1) Pall Martin L., A Common Causal (Etiologic) Mechanism for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Schl of Molecular Sci. Wash State Univ.
http://molecular.biosciences.wsu.edu/Faculty/pall/pall_mcs.htm

(2)Pall, Martin L. NMDA sensitization and stimulation by peroxynitrite, nitric oxide, and organic solvents as the mechanism of chemical sensitivity in multiple chemical sensitivity.
http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/full/16/11/1407

(3) Mehl, Anna et al. Brain damage: The effect of trichlorfon and other organophosphates on prenatal brain development in the guinea pig. Neurochemical Research, 19(5). 569-574, 1994.

(4) Goode, Erica. Less Brain Volume Found in Youths With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. N.Y. Times. 10/09/02. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/09/health/09BRAI.html?todaysheadlines

(5) Chemicals and the Developing Brain. Mann, Judy. Washington Post. 06/14/2000.
(link directly to WP no longer good.

(6) Study of ILL Gulf War Veterans Points to Chemical Damage. NY Times. 12/01/1999. Myers, Steven Lee
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502E1DE1E3FF932A35751C1A96F958260

(7) Centers for Disease Control report, Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. CDC found these chemicals building up at faster rates in children's bodies than in adults. http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/

(8) Capel, Paul D., Nelson, Blake J. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SYNTHETIC PYRETHROID INSECTICIDES IN THE ENVIRONMENT
U.S. Geological Survey
http://ca.water.usgs.gov/pnsp/pyra/env_pro/trnfr_pro/sorp/resin.html

(9) Schreck, C.E., Posey, K., and Smith, D., 1978, Durability of permethrin as a potential clothing treatment to protect against blood-feeding arthropods: Journal of Economic Entomology, v. 71, no. 3, p. 397-400. English. Sorption to Resins. CA89(11):85711t

(10) Schreck, C.E., Kane, F., and Carlson, D.A., 1982, Permethrin impregnations of military fabrics: an evaluation of application rates and industrial methods by bioassay and gas chromatographic analysis: Soap, C.E., Posey, K., and Smith, D., 1978, Durability of permethrin as a potential clothing treatment to protect against blood-feeding arthropods: Journal of Economic Entomology, v. 71, no. 3, p. 397-400. English. Sorption to Resins. CA89(11):85711t.

(11 Bry, R.E., Lang, J.H., Boatright, R.E., and Simonaitis, R.A., 1977, Durability of resmethrin on woolen cloth: Journal of the Georgia Entomological Society, v. 12, no. 2, p. 173-179. English. Sorption to Resins. CA88(22):154238n.

(12) Cosmetics, and Chemical Specialists, v. 58, no. 8, p. 36-39. English. Sorption to Resins. CA97(22):183855c.

(13) "Pyrethroid insecticides and formulations as factors in residues remaining in apparel fabrics after laundering" Laughlin J. et al Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 1991 Sept 355-61

(14) The Secret Hazards of Pesticides: Inert Ingredients -- Office of the Attorney General of New York
New York State Environmental Protection Bureau 02/1996

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/environment/inerts96.html

edited to add a space

[AikidoSoul]

84. I have attention problems

that I manage and like you I hate working on a single task. I like to move from task to task and to multi-task whenever possible.

But I have one component of this ADHD that you possibly don't have very badly. I also get a heavy case of "brain fog" or extreme difficulty concentrating when exposed to excitotoxins.

Thankfully not everybody has this attention deficit component as bad as I do. But I find that my incidents are mainly triggered by exposures to solvents and pesticides. If I avoid the exposures, I don't get the brain fog.

And not all solvent based chemicals trigger the hyperactivity -- some trigger extreme muscle fatigue and other symptoms.

See post number 81 for more detail:

[AikidoSoul]

90. Let's separate two things out here and call them what they are

It is true that we are finding more kids with developmental disabilities. Your statement seemed (I may be wrong) to subtly allude to disgusting habit of the chem/pharm industry to influence the over-medication of children. It's true that the more diagnoses there are, the more meds are prescribed and more money goes to chem/pharm. It is also true that many kids do not deserve diagnoses that require psych meds. It is a travesty that we are medicating our kids to basically "manage" their problems by drugging them and shutting them up (or down).

Secondly, over-medicating because of greed and laziness does not exclude the existence of increased disabilities.

And here I would even make a solid argument that the same companies who profit from the sale of meds, are also major contributors to the huge increase in brain damage in children. The point being here that the same companies that produce toxic chemicals like pesticides, are the same companies that manufacture drugs to treat brain disease. These companies insure that their toxic chemicals are in just about every damned thing you and your kids come in contact with every day --and I cannot believe that they don't know that they are damaging our brains and our health.

The point here is that there are far more developmentally disabled children today than there were ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. Brain damage is occurring across all race, class and ethnic lines. It is a worldwide pandemic. There is also a huge increase in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer in all populations.

It just seems that your post is focusing somewhat on the first premise, and negating the second, when in fact both are true.

[AikidoSoul]

26. The more toxic chemicals there are --the more developmental disabilities

And the chances are that when you were a kid there weren't nearly as many chemicals. Now, according to the latest estimates, there are at least 85,000 of them. Most of which were marketed without ever having been tested to see if they are toxic to the brain and central nervous system.

And according to teachers that have been teaching for over 20 years -- there are more kids with these problems now than when they first started teaching.

Here's an excerpt from the article, "Chemical Kids — Environmental Toxins and Child Development"
By Dan Orzech

http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/marapr2007p37.shtml


<<<<<<<<<<<<SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"While the body of scientific research on the subject is growing rapidly, much is still unknown. “Of the tens of thousands of chemicals that have been introduced into the environment in the last half-century,” says Miller, “most have not been tested for human health problems—and only 15 have been thoroughly tested for neurotoxicity.”

Nor has there been much research on the consequences of being exposed to multiple toxins. “Almost all of the testing has looked at individual chemicals,” Miller says. “We have very little understanding of how they might act in combination. We’re way behind in understanding synergistic impacts.”

The scientific research that does exist, however—and simple common sense—points to a problem.

“We all have hundreds of chemicals in our bodies today that didn’t exist a few decades ago,” says Miller. “And we’re seeing increases in learning and developmental disabilities as well as many other chronic diseases. Currently, one in six children under the age of 18 have some kind of learning, or developmental, or behavioral disorder.”

While there’s debate about just how much of that is an actual increase, and how much may be due to factors like better diagnosis, people who have worked with children for a long time are seeing a change, according to Miller.

“I talk to a lot of teachers,” she says, “and any of them who have been in the classroom the last 20 or 25 years will tell you, ‘I used to have one kid or two kids who had learning problems or were disruptive, and now, half my class has behavioral issues.’ That’s not necessarily all because of environmental exposures, but genes don’t change that quickly. So social, nutritional, and environmental factors have got to be playing a significant role.”

More Vulnerable, Pound for Pound
While much research remains to be done, one point has become clear: children are far more vulnerable to toxins in the environment than adults.

Studies have shown, for example, that children living in homes contaminated with pesticides had almost twice as much of the chemical in their blood as their parents. And in a home with radon, a 6-month-old child will receive twice the exposure as an adult, according to the World Health Organization.

That’s due, in part, to children’s higher metabolic rate, says Rogge. Pound for pound, children breathe more oxygen and consume more fluids and food than adults. A typical infant drinks six ounces of formula for every kilogram of body weight. That’s the equivalent of an adult male drinking 35 cans of soda per day. If the air or food is contaminated, they will receive more of it relative to their size than adults.

Children also have a greater skin area relative to their volume than adults, increasing their vulnerability to physical contact with environmental toxins such as formaldehyde, which is found in carpets and pesticides applied to grass. And children, of course, typically spend far more time on the floor and in the dirt than adults.

Children are also more vulnerable because they are still growing. Key organ systems such as the brain and nervous system, lungs, and reproductive organs are all still developing rapidly in the first few years of life, making them susceptible to interference from toxic chemicals. In addition, the kidneys and liver are not fully developed and can’t detoxify harmful substances as well as those of adults.

Children are exposed to environmental toxins in various ways. School buses, for example, which shuttle millions of children between home and school every day, routinely trap alarmingly high levels of diesel exhaust inside, according to a study conducted by the National Resources Defense Council, the Coalition for Clean Air, and the University of California, Berkeley. And numerous studies have shown that diesel fumes cause cancer, particularly lung cancer. ]Text

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[renate]

36. I've wondered whether back in the "Leave It to Beaver" years these things were kept secret

I'm sure perfectly blameless parents were made to feel like failures if they had kids with autism or ADHD or some other learning disability. Kids who weren't cute and happy-go-lucky and shiny must have felt so alone. Now these disabilities are so common that there's no social stigma... which of course is as it should be... but I'm wondering whether they were truly less common in the days before all these toxins, or whether they were just kept hidden. I suspect that the reason there's less of a stigma now is that they're more common, because of exactly what this article is about.

[AikidoSoul]

85. But there are many, many more chemicals now than in the days of "Leave it to Beaver"

In reply 26 I expanded on that a bit for another poster.

[truedelphi]

55. The testimony of the teacher that you mention - "Now half the kids are acting up!"

That is invaluable.

I had an acquaintance who was the public nurse for Marin County several decades ago. She says the EXACT SAME THING!

[kimmerspixelated]

67. INMHO

ADHD is just one of those made up disorders so they can prescribe dangerous drugs. Yes, it may be real on some levels, but vit. deficiencies and only living on sodas-fast food and a million chemical additives everyday- does not bring about healthy brain activity in kids-or adults! I think that the preservatives they use these days are not the same ones they had in the 60's, I could be wrong.

[AikidoSoul]

86. ADHD is real

but it is probably badly over-diagnosed.

It's also a component of neurogenic inflammation and chemical sensitivity. When I was badly poisoned, I became ADHD -- as an adult. I don't take drugs for it -- I just avoid toxic incitants.

See post 81 for more detail about this

[MilesColtrane]

27. Who knew the "Children of Men" scenario was due to Barney reruns?

[better tomorrow]

28. What about the barium

being sprayed on us daily in the weather modification experiments? Barium causes brain swelling...

Have you checked your odd weather lately?

[AikidoSoul]

35. And probably aluminum oxide as well

as Edward Teller recommended it in his Wall Street Journal article "Sunscreen for Planet Earth" and in his paper that he presented in Italy with several other scientists.

Teller said he didn't really believe in global warming but if it did exist, that you could cover the sky with tiny reflective particles and reduce the temperature by about 2%.

Nuts isn't it? These substances hurt our health -- but here we are with our own bodies, subsidizing the oil companies.

When our health fails -- will they pay our hospital bills?

[KT2000]

29. Kick!!

Thanks for posting this!
:kick:

[DCKit]

37. A listing of the various toxins cited is here:

http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/marapr2007p37.shtml

Thanks for posting the article AikidoSoul. It's important.

[AikidoSoul]

46. An excerpt from your link names some chemicals

and classes of chemicals

http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/marapr2007p37.shtml

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Chemicals in pesticides are also a major source of concern. One class of pesticides, called organophosphates, has been associated with various kinds of cancer and hormonal disruption. Approximately 40 different organophosphate-based pesticide products are currently on the market in the United States. One, called Chlorpyrifos, sold under the name Dursban, was used on school grounds and playing fields, and to get rid of household pests. Although Dursban is no longer sold in the United States, says Rogge, that doesn’t mean it’s not present in the environment. “At the time of the ban,” she says, “stores put Dursban on sale, and people stocked up. So they may still be using it.”

Another class of chemicals, organochlorines, have mostly been phased out in the United States. One of these chemicals, Lindane, was available as recently as 2003 as a prescription medicine to eliminate head lice and was associated with symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and convulsions. Another organochlorine, dioxin, found in pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, has been banned from sale in the United States for some years. But dioxin, says Rogge, still enters the environment as a byproduct of combustion from industrial processes.

Other chemicals that have also been banned from use may still be causing problems as well. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), some of which are a form of dioxin, for example, have been banned in the United States for years but are still found in the environment. Researchers have found evidence that children exposed in the womb to low levels of PCBs grow up with poor reading comprehension, low IQs, and memory problems.

Then there’s a whole category of chemicals that are known or suspected endocrine disruptors. These chemicals can interfere with the human hormonal system, particularly the thyroid gland, says Swanson. During pregnancy, the hormones released by the thyroid are vital for normal development of the fetus’ brain.

Unfortunately, some of these chemicals make good flame retardants and have been widely used in everything from upholstery to televisions to children’s clothing. Studies have found them in high levels in household dust, as well as in breast milk. Two categories of these flame retardants have been banned in Europe and are starting to be banned by different states in the United States.

Other chemicals, called plasticizers, are just now coming onto the radar screen as possible sources of health problems. One of them, bisphenol A, is found in pacifiers, baby bottles, and dental sealant used to prevent cavities in children. It’s also found in many adult consumer products, according to Elise Miller, MEd, executive director of the nonprofit Institute for Children’s Environmental Health and national coordinator of the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative. “We all have bisphenol A in our bodies now,” she says. Research on bisphenol A has shown it can affect both the reproductive and neurological system, and that it appears to accumulate at higher concentrations around the fetus—in the umbilical cord and amniotic fluid—than in the mother’s blood."

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[caseycoon]

38. K&R n/t

[LWolf]

40. Important information. Thanks for posting.

Having worked in public education for 25 years now, I can say without doubt that the percentage of kids in our classrooms with developmental disorders has been steadily on the rise for years.

As a matter of fact, the 6th grade population at my school has the highest ratio of students with various disabilities that I've ever experienced. Fully 1 in 3 have IEPs.

I wonder if a higher ratio can be expected with our low socio-economic population.

[AikidoSoul]

45. I think we should start getting affidavits

from teachers like you who have been in public education for as long as you have. Otherwise, when you are all gone there will be a willing cadre of checkbook scientists who will do their best to convince the new generation that what is going on is "normal" and "due to increased diagnoses".

[LWolf]

76. That's an interesting idea to (cautiously) explore.

While we are not psychologists, psychiatrists, or specialists, over the years we see and work with the children so much that we can spot the developmental and cognitive issues quite easily. ;) It's not a matter of diagnosis. They don't have to be formally diagnosed, or to have an IEP, for us to easily recognize the symptoms. When I think of the kids with those sorts of problems in my classroom, I'm not counting IEPs, but children.

It's the number of children with developmental and cognitive disabilities that is increasing, not the number of diagnoses.

[depakid]

42. And yet the Democratic Senate confirmed Stephen Johnson to head the EPA

despite the fact that he championed a program that encourage poor mothers to use these sorts of chemocals around their kids and allow industry to test the effects of their exposures....

http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1037

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=7420

[Orwellian_Ghost]

43. K&R n/t

[donsu]

47. kicking for future kids

it is too late for todays

[AikidoSoul]

50. "Sperm defects caused by exposure to environmental toxins can be passed down the generations"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7252165.stm

We're just beginning to understand how chemical injury damage is passed on to future generations.

"Tests on rats showed sperm damage caused by exposure to garden chemicals remained up to four generations later."



"New research suggests that sperm defects caused by exposure to environmental toxins can be passed down the generations. The study which was presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Science said that a father's health and exposures plays a greater role in the health of future generations than has been thought."

[mzmolly]

49. Horrifying.

:(

[BrklynLiberal]

57. Rachel Carson was saying this 50 years ago...

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4964

Carson went on to explain the cause of that eerie silence: "Pesticides" (insect-killing chemicals) had gotten into the water, air, and soil and were killing or sickening all sorts of creatures — including humans. "Can anyone believe," she wrote, "it is possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making it unfit for all life? They should not called "insecticides" but biocides ."

http://www.reason.com/news/show/34823.html

Carson argued that DDT and other pesticides were not only harming wildlife but killing people too. The1958 passage by Congress of the Delaney Clause, which forbade the addition of any amount of chemicals suspected of causing cancer to food, likely focused Carson's attention on that disease.

[Pappy]

59. Do I really need 50 scientists to tell me that Neurotoxins are bad for the brain?

Hmmmm, "Neuro-toxin", sounds bad for brains to me.

[AikidoSoul]

87. Trouble is... the majority of chemicals have never been asessed for neurotoxicity!

And it's the companies that manufacture the chemicals that produce whatever tests are required... not the EPA.

[ForeignSpectator]

63. Scientists huh? Dunno what to think of this until my CHURCH tells me... n/t

[lightningandsnow]

64. With all due respect

I understand your good intentions, but do you think I enjoy being called "hopeless"? "Horrifying"? "Sick"? Whatever awful words you throw at people like me and assume we can't understand?

From your definition, I am one of those 1 in 6. I'm also a writer and an activist who maintains an "A" average and in active in many volunteer and extracurricular activities. Yes, I'm going to university, and hope to be a journalist one day.

If you can't see my potential despite my different neurological wiring...maybe you're the one with the disorder.

[AikidoSoul]

65. Nobody called you

those names.

I'm glad to see that you are managing so well. Realize that there are many others who are devastated by a broad spectrum of environmental illnesses who would prefer to be in your shoes.

[kimmerspixelated]

68. Thanks so much for posting this.

It's really amazingly simple. We live and breathe and work around poisons and we get poisoned!
I bet those scientists had a hard time just getting this out to the public. All those corporate leaders and the millions they will lose! Everyone's getting sick, but by God, we're rich, we're rich!!!!

[AikidoSoul]

69. Yes-- NONE of the mainstream media outlets picked up on this news release

only Rachael's Health and Environment News.

And so we unwittingly continue to poison ourselves and our children.

Thank you for the encouragement! :hi:

[frog92969]

77. Kick

For an inconvenient truth.
:kick:

[KT2000]

78. Kick! n/t

[Kitty Herder]

80. The human race is destroying it's future.

:cry:

[taught_me_patience]

83. What should we do

keep them encased in little plastic bubbles?

[AikidoSoul]

88. Just work to limit your exposures

And if you are pregnant, thinking of becoming pregnant, or if you are a male wanting to have a child -- you must be especially careful about your exposures. The foetus is exquisitely vulnerable to neurotoxins which can penetrate easily into its body and do damage.

If I was in that position I'd detox for an entire year before even attempting it.

If you have children or grandchildren, do everything you can to prevent exposures to brain toxins.

It's not easy to avoid them -- but it's important to do so. There are many resources out there to help.

Sorry... don't know if you're male or female but this resource might be of help especially for the females in your life.

To find safe cosmetic and bodycare products, there is no better source that I know of than the Environmental Working Group's wonderful, searchable database that provides several ways of searching via the simple search and advanced search links.

It is beautifully organized. You can find products there that you already use, and rate them for safety.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1

Hope that helps.

[Karenina]

89. bttt.

:kick:

[Karenina]

91. Sunday kick!

:kick: