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Leading experts are calling for a radical overhaul of regulations for chemicals to protect children from every-day toxins that may be causing a global ''silent epidemic'' of brain development disorders such as autism, dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In a review published in The Lancet Neurology on Saturday, Dr Philippe Grandjean from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and Dr Philip Landrigan from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York said regulations were inadequate to safeguard foetuses and children from potentially hazardous chemicals found in the environment and everyday items such as clothing, furniture and toys.
The pair said that in the past seven years the number of recognised chemical causes of neurodevelopmental disorders doubled from six to 12. These include lead, arsenic, pesticides such as DDT, solvents, methylmercury, found in some fish, flame retardants, often added to plastics and textiles, and manganese, a commonly mined metal that can get into drinking water.
The list also controversially includes fluoride, a mineral found in water, plants and toothpaste. Many health authorities, including the World Health Organisation and Australian governments, say low levels of fluoride in drinking water are safe and protect teeth against decay.
However, Dr Grandjean and Dr Landrigan said a meta-analysis of 27 studies, mainly from China, had found children in areas with high levels of fluoride in water had significantly lower IQ scores than those living in low-level fluoride areas.
Whats a silent brain?
Whats a silent brain?
a prerequisite of taking public office.
reply to post by daaskapital
I think calling ADHD a disorder is out of place. Similar to PTSD, it is not a disorder, but instead a condition. I would be hard pressed to say this for autism, but dyslexia...maybe also just a condition.
ADHD and PTSD are just conditions, and those conditions have a wide variety of benefits.
I think people are too quick to call anything that is out of the ordinary a "disorder." You would be hard pressed to find someone who does not have any "disorders."edit on 15-2-2014 by FreeWillAnomaly because: (no reason given)
Dr Oliver Jones, a lecturer in analytical chemistry in the School of Applied Sciences at RMIT University, said many of the chemicals listed in the review were already strictly controlled or banned in Australia and that where they were used, it is not ''for fun, or with malice, but to save lives''.
From the perspective of society and psychology at large, who's perspective is generally based on illusory perceptions, and who's precepts are dictated by the corrupt world we live in, yes they are experiencing major debilitation. I would say that it is society and the psychologists who are truly debilitated, but that would be a sign of mental illness so I best not say that.