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THE GROWING TOXIC CRISIS AFFECTING FLORIDA & U.S. CHILDREN

B Windham

The incidence of children's neurotoxic or immune reactive conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, ADD, dyslexia, learning disabilities, etc. has been increasing rapidly in recent years(2,3,8,9,13-15). A recent report by the National Research Council found that 50% of all pregnancies in the U.S. are now resulting in prenatal or postnatal mortality, significant birth defects, developmental neurological problems, or otherwise chronically unhealthy babies(3). Exposure to toxic chemicals or environmental factors appear to be a factor in as much as 28 percent of the 4 million children born each year(3,etc.), with at least 1 in 6 having one of the childhood neurological conditions previously listed(3,13). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and other studies between 8 to 12 % of all school age children are affected by ADHD(4,13) and a similar number have some degree of dyslexia(11). Also according to the U.S. FDA and U.S. Center for Environmental Health , at least 26 million have allergies, at least 17 million have asthma, and childhood diabetes is increasing rapidly(14).

While the U.S. CDC/ATSDR have found that toxic metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, nickel, etc. are affecting the largest number of children(1,2), the CDC also found

that all people tested had measurable levels of pesticides, and phthalates as well as toxic metals in their blood, with dangerous levels of pesticides such as organophosphates in over 10% of women of childbearing age and very high levels of phthalates such as diethyl-phthalate(DEP), dibutyl-phthalate(DBP), and BzBP in a large portion of the population at what appear to be dangerous levels(5). The CDC did not test for some of the extremely toxic chemicals that are known to be widespread in people at significant levels such as arsenic, dioxins, PCBs, DDT/DDE, other common pesticides and herbicides. But another study found that from their food, Americans are exposed to 22 times the U.S. EPA suggested maximum level of dioxin, says a new study by scientists at the University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston. And nursing infants commonly get 35 to 65 times the recommended dosage said Dr. Arnold Schecter, who directed the study. "We have to reduce the highly toxic, persistent chemicals

in the environment. There is additional evidence that similar numbers are significantly affected by other endocrine disrupting chemicals such as Polyaromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), dioxins, PCBs, etc. (15).

U.S. EPA estimates that over 3 million are significantly affected by lead or mercury toxicity and other sources also support this(2,7,9,11,14,16). Evidence indicates that over 60,000 children are born each year with neurodevelopmental impairment due to methylmercury(3,10), with even higher levels of exposure and impairment from two other sources, vaccines and amalgam dental fillings(8,9,13,14,16). The largest increase has been in infants(2,3,8,9,11-14), with an increase in autism cases to over 500,000 in the U.S. and over 3800 in Florida (2,3,8,9,13), an over 1000% increase to a level of almost 1 per 200 infants in the last decade, making it the 3rd most common serious developmental childhood condition, along with large increases in ADD(2,6,11,13,17). According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, an estimated 10% of children in the U.S. have blood levels of lead in the toxic range(6), and studies estimate that over 15 million children suffer from learning, developmental, and behavioral disabilities including ADD, autism, schizophrenia, and mental retardation(3,6,12).

Studies researching the reason for these rapid increases in infant reactive conditions seem to implicate earlier and higher usage of vaccines containing mercury(thimerosal) as a likely connection(4,8,9,13,23). A recent study comparing pre- and post-vaccination mercury levels, found a significant increase in both preterm and term infants after vaccination(25), with post-vaccination mercury levels approximately 3 times higher in the preterm infants as compared with term infants. The study found mercury blood levels up to 23.6 ug/L and received an average dose of 16.7 ug/kg. Just this one vaccination gave an exposure to mercury that is many times the U.S. ATSDR adult minimum risk level(MRL) for mercury of .3/ug/kg body weight per day(10,13). Adverse effects from mercury exposure such as increases in blood pressure and cognitive effects have been documented in the range 1 to 5 parts per million in hair or 1 to 10 ug/L in blood, with impacts higher in low birth weight babies(10).

It has been estimated that if all of the vaccines recommended by the American Assoc. of Pediatrics are given and contain thimerosal, then by age 6 months an infant would have received 187 micrograms of ethyl mercury which is more than the EPA/ATSDR health standard for organic mercury(24,10,13) and by age 3 the typical child has received over 235 micrograms of mercury thimerosal from vaccinations which is considerably more than Federal mercury safety guidelines(1,10,13), in addition to significant levels from other sources such as prenatally through the placenta from mother's amalgam fillings and postnatally from breast milk and fish(10,13,16). Infants during this period have undeveloped blood brain barriers and much of the mercury goes to the brain, resulting in significant adverse neurological effects in those that are most susceptible (3,11,12).

The extent of the growing crisis in contamination of the environment and food chain by endocrine disrupting chemicals is reflected by the growing list of health advisories regarding eating fish and wildlife which should serve as a warning that similar bioaccumulation and effects are occurring in people as in fish and wildlife. For 1999 the U.S. EPA list of warnings that are in effect regarding toxic levels in fish or wildlife included over 52,000 U.S. lakes, 20% of total significant lakes, all Great Lakes, and approx. 7 % of all U.S. river miles(18). This included over half the rivers and lakes in Florida(18). The number of health warnings rose again for mercury, PCBs. Dioxins, and DDT/DDE. In addition to the health advisories regarding the danger in eating fish and wildlife, there are widespread findings of hormonal and reproductive disorders/failures in wildlife caused by the toxic exposures(19,20), and this is also true in most urban and industrial coastal waters(21). Some Florida panthers that eat birds and animals that eat fish containing very low levels of mercury(about 1 part per million) have died from chronic mercury poisoning(22). Since mercury is an estrogenic chemical and reproductive toxin, the majority of the rest cannot reproduce. The average male Florida panther has higher estrogen levels than females, due to the estrogenic properties of mercury(22). Similar is true of some other animals at the top of the food chain like polar bears, beluga whales, and alligators, which are affected by mercury and other hormone disrupting chemicals(15).

References

(1) ATSDR/EPA Priority List for 1999: Top 20 Hazardous Substances, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/99list.html; & Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Public Health Service, Apr 19,1999 Media Advisory, New MRLs for toxic substances, MRL: methy mercury/ oral/acute; & http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mrls.html. & U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Mar 2, 2001, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5008a2.html

(2) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hazardous Air Pollutant Hazard Summary Fact Sheets, EPA: In Risk Information System, 1995; & EPA spokesman, U.S.News & World Report, "In the Air that they Breathe", Science & News, 12-20-99. & U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), 1996, "Integrated Risk Information System, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Cincinnati, Ohio(& webpage);& EPA spokesman, U.S.News & World Report, "Kids at Risk"(cover story), 6-19-2000;

(3) National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Committee on Developmental Toxicology, Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment, June 1, 2000, 313 pages & Press Release;

(4) American Academy of Pediatrics, American J of Psychiatry, 2000, 157:1077-1083; & American Academy of Pediatrics, Report on Autism, http://www.aap.org/policy/autism.html

(5) U.S. Centers for Disease Control(CDC), National Center for Environmental Health , National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, 2001, www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/report/Highlights.htm; & National Research Council, Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury -Risk Characterization and Public Health Implications, Nat'l Academy Press 2000. pp304-332

(6) American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Facts for Families: Lead Exposure, 1997; & May M, Disturbing Behavior: Neurotoxic Effects in Children. Environ Health Perspect 2000, 108(6):A262-267.

(7) U.S. Dept. Of Health, ATSDR, Toxfaqs, www.atsdr.cdc.goc/toxfaq.html; & U.S. EPA, Lead in your drinking water, 1993, http://www.epa.gov/safewater/Pubs/lead1.html; & U.S. CDC, Childhood lead poisoning in the U.S. 1997 www.cdc.gov/nceh/programs/lead/guide/1997/pdf/chapter1.pdf & Screening Young Children for Lead Poisoning. Atlanta, Ga. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997.; & Neilke HW, Reagan PL, Soil is an important pathway of human lead exposure. Environ Health Perspect 1998, 106:217-

(8) (a)The Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/ ; & Annual Report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with disabilities act. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/ (1994 to 1998); & U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Data Analysis Section, partB, Chapter1: 1990-1997; & (b) State government agency reports on autism incidence trends for the last decade for California, New Jersey,Maryland, Rhode Island, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Washington, etc. in: Autism 99 : A National Emergency, http://www.garynull.com/documents/autism_99.htm; & California Health and Human Services Agency, Dept. Of Developmental Services, April 16, 1999 and June 2000;

& (d)"Advocacy Groups Call for Research to Investigate Link Between Autism Increase and Vaccination", April 16,1999: Autism Research Institute, Cure Autism Now, Autism Autoimmunity Project, and National Vaccine Information Center;

(9) Autism: a unique form of mercury poisoning. http://www.autism.com/ari/mercurylong.html & Halsey, NA. Limiting Infant Exposure to Thimerosal in vaccines. J. of the Amer. Medical Assoc., 282: 1763-66; & Edelson SB, Cantor DS. Autism: xenobiotic influences. Toxicol Ind Health 1998; 14(4): 553-.

(10) P.Grandjean et al, "MeHg and neurotoxicity in children", Am J Epidemiol, 1999, 150(3):301-5: & Sorensen N, et al; Prenatal mercury exposure raises blood pressure, Epidemiology 1999, 10:370-375; & Grandjean P; Jurgensen PJ; Weihe P. Milk as a Source of Methylmercury Exposure in Infants.

www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/indexe.html (over 100 medical study references)

(11) Rodier P.M. Developing brain as a target of toxicity. Environ Health Perspect 1995; 103(Supp 6): 73-76; & Weiss B, Landrigan PJ. The developing brain and the Environment. Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 107, Supp 3, June 2000; & Frith CD et al, More Dyslexia in English Speaking Countries, Science, Mar 2001.

(12) Rice, DC, Issues in developmental neurotoxicology: interpretation and implications of the data. Can J Public Health 1998; 89(Supp1): S31-40; & Rice DC, Barone S, Critical Periods of Vulnerability for the Developing Nervous System: Evidence from human and animal models. Environ Health Persect 2000, 108(supp 3):511-533; & © A research-orientated framework for risk assessment and prevention of exposure to environmental toxicants; Environ Health Perspectives, 1999, 107(6): 510.

(13) B.Windham, Cognitive and Behavioral Effects of Toxic Metals, Dec 2000, (over 100 medical study references) www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/indexk.html

(14) B.Windham, Immune Reactive and Allergic Conditions: the Toxic Metal Connection, Dec 2000, www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/indexe.html (over 100 medical study references)

(15) B.Windham, Neurological, Immune, and Reproductive Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Dec 2000,

www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/indexe.html

(16) B. Windham, Common Exposure Levels and Adverse Health Effects from Mercury/Amalgam

Fillings & Results of 60,000 clinical cases of amalgam replacement on 40 chronic conditions as followed and documented by doctors, Dec 2000, www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/indexa.html

(17) Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab, Depression, ADD & ADHD research web pages (click on: by condition), search research studies, http:// www.gsdl.com; & Dr. G. Klerman, National Istitute of Health, Factors in the rapid rise of depression, 1997

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