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Chemicals and Developmental Disabilities-Get The Mercury and Pesticides Out of Your Diet!

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By LeBeau, Kara; Gagnon, Michele

The American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) is pleased to bring you this three part series on environmental health issues developed by its Environmental Health Initiative members. The Initiative is raising awareness about the connections between toxic exposures and developmental disabilities (DD) and the special concerns of the DD community with regard to environmental threats. Visit the website at www.aamr.org/ToxinsandMentalRetardation to learn more. The AAMR Initiative is sponsored by the John Merck Fund.

The association between chemical exposures and developmental disabilities - as well as how chemical exposures affect persons who already have a developmental disability - is a growing area of concern. Every day new scientific research continues to connect exposures from more and more chemicals with adverse effects such as learning and other developmental disabilities. Doctors, nurses and other service providers are making observational associations that those with existing disabilities or those who may be medically fragile are more susceptible to adverse effects from toxic exposures than the general population.

Because of this, the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) has launched an Environmental Health Initiative to help raise awareness about these issues for the developmental disabilities (DD) community.

The Concern

Learning and developmental disabilities are estimated to affect one in six children in the U.S. under the age of 18 and the numbers of children affected appears to be increasing. Though heredity, gene expression, social environment and nutrition play critical roles in brain development, the effect of toxic chemicals on brain development is currently one of the least researched and one of the most preventable causes of DD. For approximately 30 to 50 percent of the cases of mental retardation the cause is unknown. In addition, it is even more difficult to pinpoint the causes of milder conditions that include learning disabilities. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) estimates that twenty-five percent of developmental and neurological deficits in children are due to the interplay between chemicals and genetic factors, and that three percent are caused by exposure to chemicals alone. We produce approximately 80,000 different chemicals in America and the process of producing these chemicals creates toxic pollution and the chemicals produced can also be toxic. In 1997, U.S. industries pumped 1.2 billion pounds of neurotoxicants- chemicals that damage the nervous system and brain development-into the earth, air, and water. Since WWII, we have continued to produce these chemicals and we are just now beginning to take a serious look at how they are affecting our health and especially brain development for the fetus and child. Of these 80,000 chemicals currently registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency, only twelve neurotoxicants have been well studied for how they affect brain development and human health. These include lead, mercury, some pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and some solvents. However, recent studies are beginning to build a body of research on other chemicals that are known or suspected nuerotoxicants but much more needs to be done.

Children are at Greater Risk

Toxic contaminants are all around us. They can be found in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, and they collect in dust and soil in and around our homes. Importantly, children are more susceptible to adverse effects of these contaminants. Their nervous, immune and other systems are still developing and if this development is disrupted by toxic chemicals certain functions can start to go awry. As children play, crawl on the ground, and stick their fingers and plastic objects in their mouths, they are more apt to take in toxic chemicals in our house dust or in the dirt around our homes. Infants and young children breathe more rapidly than adults and usually breathe through their mouths, so they are more likely to inhale a greater amount of pollutants and toxic vapors from the atmosphere. Furthermore, children eat more fruits and vegetables than adults, increasing their exposure to pesticides residues on the food. It's not just very young children who are vulnerable to neurotoxicants- the nervous system continues to develop in different stages until about age 16. But the younger the child, the more susceptible he or she will be to nuerotoxic damage. Finally, we need to consider other factors besides the toxic chemical itself, the impact of toxic exposures can depend on the timing-the age and developmental stage of the child, the amount of the toxicant, the duration of exposure and even dietary factors.

Are Exceptional Children More Vulnerable?

Youngsters with developmental disabilities may be at even greater risk. They take longer to grow out of such childhood behaviors as crawling on the floor, sticking their fingers in their mouths, chewing on toys and other objects, or even eating such things as paste. When they are irritated by chemical exposures, it might be more difficult for them to communicate that something is bothering them-delaying diagnosis and treatment. Or, as in the example with Ray*, they might express discomfort in a behavioral way that could easily be misunderstood or misdiagnosed. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control Healthy People 2010 data show that people with special needs as a group have a higher incidence of other chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. More research is needed to understand if these chronic conditions make them more susceptible to toxic exposures. For instance, people with Rhett syndrome often have breathing difficulties. This condition is worsened by the effects of toxicants in the air. Finally, there is concern that even small amounts of neurotoxicants might have a significant negative impact on the health of a person with existing neurological disabilities, further impacting their capacity to learn, talk, read, calculate, memorize, conceptualize, organize, and behave appropriately.

Get the Mercury and Pesticides out of your Diet

The food we eat every day may be contaminated with toxic chemicals. From mercury in our fish to pesticide residues on our fruits and vegetables, is the food that we eat to nourish us really poisoning us? Let's take a closer look at two examples, mercury in fish and pesticides on fruits and vegetables. How can we prevent these toxic chemicals from ending up at the dinner table and in our kids?

Mercury

Emissions from coal-fired power plants are the main culprit for the mercury that works its way into the fish we eat. The mercury air pollution settles on lakes, rivers, and oceans and contaminates fish and other life forms. We eat the fish and we're contaminated, too. But wait, the omega fatty acids found in fish are good for us and help proper brain development, so don't give up on fish! The most toxic fish are large predatory fish like tuna, shark, swordfish, tilefish, and mackerel because they eat other smaller fish, multiplying the mercury stored in their fat. Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring and bluefish also have higher levels of mercury. The best fish and seafood to put on the table are: tilapia, haddock, cod, freshwater trout, catfish, flounder, sole, scallops, blue, king and snow crab, pollock, American shad, squid, and canned chunk light tuna.

Pesticides

Pesticide residue can be found on almost any unwashed fruits and vegetables in the supermarket but some are grown using more pesticides than others. A national non-profit, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) did an analysis of pesticide levels on fruits and vegetables and they developed a pocket guide (see Resources for website link) that lists the twelve most and twelve least contaminated. The twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables with pesticides are: apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach and strawberries. The twelve least pesticide contaminated are: asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples and sweet peas. If affordable, the safest food to eat to avoid chemical pesticides is organically grown food. Organically grown food is produced without chemical fertilizer, pesticides, sewage sludge, irradiation, or genetic engineering. Animals used for organic meat, chicken, eggs, and dairy products are also fed organic food and are free of antibiotics and growth hormones. Farmers who want to officially label their goods as organic must apply to the USDA and meet strict standards. If you go to a farmer's market and foods are not labeled organic, ask if chemical pesticides were used in growing the food. Of course it's still a good idea to wash organic and regular food with a mild solution of dish detergent or diluted vinegar to remove surface pesticides.

For more information on AAMR's Environmental Health Initiative (EHI), contact Michele Gagnon, Director, EHI at mgagnon@aamr.org.

Resources

For a copy of Pollution Toxic Chemical and Menial Retardat\ion- Framing a National Blueprint for Health Promotion and Disability Prevention, go to AAMR's website at www.aamr.org/ ToxinsandMentalRetardation.

The executive summary and full report are available at http:// www.aamr.org/ToxinsandMentalRetardation/index.html

A comprehensive report to read is In Harm's Way-Toxic Threats to Child Development at http://psr.igc.org/ihw-download-report.htm. A shoppers guide to fruits and vegetables regarding pesticide exposure can be found at http://www.foodnews.org/pdf/walletguide.pdf

BY KARA LEBEAU, MA, SCIENCE WRITER AND MICHELE GAGNON, DIRECTOR, AAMR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

Copyright Psy-Ed Corporation Feb 2006

Source: Exceptional Parent, The

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