Tox News | Autism

Children today face a much more hostile environment as they grow up and develop, compared to kids twenty years ago. The foods they eat, the air they breathe, the water they drink, the soils they play in, the vaccinations they received, even the wooden playground equipment they play on. All are polluted with heavy metals, chemicals, toxins and gases that are harmful to all humans, but especially to growing and developing children. These toxic substances can affect the development and function of multiple systems including the immune, reproductive, endocrine, and respiratory systems, as well as cognitive development.

Across America, a growing number of children are suffering from autism, asthma, childhood cancers like leukemia, as well as learning and behavioral disabilities including ADD and ADHD. Research suggests that everyday, environmental toxins — what kids eat, drink, and breathe — are putting them at risk. Some are calling it a national emergency, as the rate of autism among children in the US and the world is rising by as much as 800 percent! A study released by an environmental organization offers support to the theory that a vaccine preservative called thiomerasol may contribute to the cause of autism. The study has found a genetic flaw that sheds further light on how autistic children are metabolically different from healthy children. This may explain why autistic children are not able to excrete mercury and other heavy metals.

In the late 1970’s the rate of autism was about one case in 2500 children. Today it is one in 250 children. In California in the 1970’s only 100-200 new cases of autism were reported annually. In 1998, new cases reported to the public school system were 1,425. In 1999 that figure jumped to 1944! In New Jersey the reported cases of autism jumped from 241 in 1991 to 1634 in 1997 (an 800% increase). There were 4.4 cases of autism per 10,000 live births reported in California in 1980 and 20.8 cases per 10,000 in 1994, a 373 percent relative increase. According to the Department of Education annual reports to the US Congress, autism cases in US schoolchildren aged 6-21 increase yearly by approximately 25%! There is great controversy over the cause, but the most plausible explanation relates to changes in the vaccination programs over the past two decades.

Click the links below to read the individual articles. 

New Evidence Links Mercury Emissions to Rates of Autism
04/29/2008