What Causes Autism – A Medical Expert Adds Clarity to a Sea of Misinformation

I was curious about this, especially the controversial statements by Robert Kennedy, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and misinformation that is so easily spread via Facebook and other social media. Some answers came over an NPR program called Living On Earth, an environmental program which tries hard to stay on facts, in my opinion.

The guest speaker on May 21 was Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician, professor at Boston College, and one of the world’s leading experts on toxic exposure from plastics and pollution.

The plastics part caught my oil and gas attention because most of the world’s plastics are made by distilling crude oil in a refinery to make naphtha. The naphtha is converted to long-chained polymers that are the building blocks for plastics.

Here are the main points of the interview with Dr Landrigan:

1. What is autism?
2. Autism’s proper name is Autism Spectrum Disorder, and it is a disorder of the brain — not a psychological ailment.
3. Of autistic children, two-thirds have some cognitive impairment and lower IQ. Some suffer from seizures, speech problems, and motor problems.
4. But some show amazing instances of memory or math calculations.
5. Autism has increased in US children. It was one in 166 in 2004, one in 88 in 2012, and one in 31 now. Some of this is due to increased awareness amongst families and doctors, but not all of it.

6. What causes autism?
7. Brain development, especially in the womb or at very young age, has been linked to a raft of toxic chemicals. Lead and mercury were first, historically, then PCBs, pesticides, and now phthalates and bisphenol As, which are endocrine disruptors. The latter two are common in plastic food packages, such as the frozen food entrees I buy in the supermarket. I don’t always remove the plastic wrapper before I heat the food in the microwave, which may release these chemicals.
8. Dr Landrigan explained how a very young child can encounter these chemicals in water they drink, food they eat, playing on a rug on the floor, or breathing them in the air.
9. The truth is children today (and adults) are exposed to thousands of chemicals every week of their lives. Sadly, according to Dr Landrigan, only 20% of these chemicals have been tested in the US for their toxicity.
10. Chemicals are part of the story here, but they’re not the whole story. Complex disorders like autism usually have a genetic source and an environmental source. As one doctor stated, “Genetics loads the gun and the environment pulls the trigger.”

11. Role of plastics.
12. Phthalates were emphasized by Dr Landrigan, because they disrupt the endocrine system. Found in wrappings of fast food and frozen dinners, they damage the brain and cause symptoms of autism in some children who are exposed to them.
13. Phthalates are used in making plastics, but they don’t stay in the plastics, they can get in the food that’s wrapped by plastic. Avoid food that’s wrapped in plastics. Plus fast food. Plus processed food.
14. Production of plastics came out of the continually growing oil and gas boom that helped make the US economy so successful last century. Globally, Dr Landrigan quoted that plastic production has multiplied by 250 times since 1955. It will double by 2040 and triple by 2060. All because single-use plastic is a huge money-maker for its manufacturers.

15. What about autism and vaccines?
16. This theory was started by an English doctor called Wakefield about 25 years ago. Although it was later shown that he had fabricated his data, his fraudulent theory was spread over the internet.
17. There does seem to be a connection between autism and vaccines, but it’s a false positive. Most autism cases are found between one and three years of age. But this is when most children are vaccinated against measles, pertussis, and tetanus. So it’s a false connection.
18. Dr Landrigan: “UK, Scandinavia, and Japan have launched major studies looking at the association between vaccines and autism and not one of them, none of them at all, have found a credible linkage between vaccines and autism.”
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Today, for the first time this year, I saw a baby sparrow learning from its mother to find things to eat in my backyard. The baby searched for a bit, then fluffed up its feathers, like nesting babies do, to try to get easy food from momma.

I wish you well, and a happy holiday for Memorial Day which announces the beginning of summer in the US. It will reach 90 deg F here in Albuquerque for the next few days.

The Gray Nomad
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For you shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
[Isaiah, chapter 55]