ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG TODAY
We need you to help protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
Get EWG widgets & blog badges.
ENVIROBLOG TO YOU
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
Cell Phone Radiation Blog Series - All In One Place
Rubber Ducky: You're so not the one
Epigenetics hits the mainstream
Cosmetics Safety Series - Part 2: Mind the (data) gap
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Infant formula: How to choose it & use it
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
Let's talk some serious shop about TSCA reform
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« Print greener with Green Print | Main | Food irradiation: Grosser than you think. »
Pet shampoo ingredient linked to autism
The cause of autism spectrum disorder is one big mystery. Lots of people have ideas as to what might cause it, but nothing is certain. That makes treating the disorder more difficult, and preventing it impossible. Many scientists agree that ASD is likely caused by a complex combination of genetics and environmental exposures.
New research demonstrates that one possible environmental factor is insecticides. In one study, mothers of children with ASD were twice as likely to have used pet shampoos containing pyrethrins, a class of insecticides commonly included in mainstream pet grooming products to kill fleas and ticks. Another study suggests that exposure during pregnancy to orgranophosphate insecticides, which have a plethora of common household and agricultural uses, may double the risk of ASD and other developmental disorders.
Why insecticides? Well, for starters, they're chemicals designed to affect the nervous system. In bugs, they result in death, but it's possible that they may be having more subtle effects on developing human nervous systems. In animal studies, pyrethrins were associated with damage to the neurons and the transmission of neural signals. Yes, this is the same stuff we put on our precious furbabies. It's possible that in-utero exposure to insecticides and other environmental toxics may activate the genes associated with autism.
So does this mean you should run and get rid of all your conventional pet shampoo right this very second? It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to switch to a natural pet care product or baby shampoo (one that scores well in Skin Deep). But this issue is larger than you and I and pet shampoo. We shouldn't find out decades down the road that chemicals we use in our everyday lives may be harmful to us, our pets, or certainly our unborn children. Something must be done on a grander scale -- and that something is the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act
Photo by Daniel Montesinos..
Since this post is about autism, I'm doubly surprised there is no mention of vaccines.
Here is a list of ingredients in vaccines on the CDC's own Web site. Would many of these pass your smell test?
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf
Am surprised to see nothing about vaccines on the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act Web page.
Sure, vaccines save lives, but many of these ingredients are dangerous. Safer vaccines could be made but the pharma companies don't want to bear that expense. I wish environmental groups like EWG would be vocal on this issue.