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   Growing number of chemicals linked with brain disorders in children   
      
      
   Date:   
   February 14, 2014   
   Source:   
   Harvard School of Public Health   
   Summary:   
   Toxic chemicals may be triggering the recent increases in neurodevelopmental   
   disabilities among children -- such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity   
   disorder, and dyslexia.   
      
   "The greatest concern is the large numbers of children who are affected by   
   toxic damage to brain development in the absence of a formal diagnosis. They   
   suffer reduced attention span, delayed development, and poor school   
   performance. Industrial chemicals    
   are now emerging as likely causes," said Philippe Grandjean.   
   Credit: © Roman Gorielov / Fotolia   
   [Click to enlarge image]   
   Toxic chemicals may be triggering the recent increases in neurodevelopmental   
   disabilities among children -- such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity   
   disorder, and dyslexia -- according to a new study from Harvard School of   
   Public Health (HSPH) and    
   Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The researchers say a new global   
   prevention strategy to control the use of these substances is urgently needed.   
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   The report will be published online February 15, 2014 in Lancet Neurology.   
   "The greatest concern is the large numbers of children who are affected by   
   toxic damage to brain development in the absence of a formal diagnosis. They   
   suffer reduced attention span, delayed development, and poor school   
   performance. Industrial chemicals    
   are now emerging as likely causes," said Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor   
   of environmental health at HSPH.   
   The report follows up on a similar review conducted by the authors in 2006   
   that identified five industrial chemicals as "developmental neurotoxicants,"   
   or chemicals that can cause brain deficits. The new study offers updated   
   findings about those    
   chemicals and adds information on six newly recognized ones, including   
   manganese, fluoride, chlorpyrifos and DDT (pesticides), tetrachloroethylene (a   
   solvent), and the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants).   
   The study outlines possible links between these newly recognized   
   neurotoxicants and negative health effects on children, including:   
   Manganese is associated with diminished intellectual function and impaired   
   motor skills   
   Solvents are linked to hyperactivity and aggressive behavior   
   Certain types of pesticides may cause cognitive delays   
   Grandjean and co-author Philip Landrigan, Dean for Global Health at Mount   
   Sinai, also forecast that many more chemicals than the known dozen or so   
   identified as neurotoxicants contribute to a "silent pandemic" of   
   neurobehavioral deficits that is eroding    
   intelligence, disrupting behaviors, and damaging societies. But controlling   
   this pandemic is difficult because of a scarcity of data to guide prevention   
   and the huge amount of proof needed for government regulation. "Very few   
   chemicals have been    
   regulated as a result of developmental neurotoxicity," they write.   
   The authors say it's crucial to control the use of these chemicals to protect   
   children's brain development worldwide. They propose mandatory testing of   
   industrial chemicals and the formation of a new international clearinghouse to   
   evaluate industrial    
   chemicals for potential developmental neurotoxicity.   
   "The problem is international in scope, and the solution must therefore also   
   be international," said Grandjean. "We have the methods in place to test   
   industrial chemicals for harmful effects on children's brain development --   
   now is the time to make that    
   testing mandatory."   
   Story Source:   
   The above story is based on materials provided by Harvard School of Public   
   Health. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.   
   Journal Reference:   
   Philippe Grandjean, Philip Landrigan. Neurobehavioural effects of   
   developmental toxicity. Lancet Neurology, February 2014 DOI: 10.   
   016/S1474-4422(13)70278-3   
   Cite This Page:   
   MLA APA Chicago   
   Harvard School of Public Health. "Growing number of chemicals linked with   
   brain disorders in children." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 February 2014.   
      
      
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