Study: Comprehensive Review of Mercury Provoked Autism

Emerging evidence supports the theory that some autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may result from a combination of genetic/biochemical susceptibility

This is especially when the body is not able to excrete mercury and/or when one is exposed to mercury at critical developmental periods, such as during pregnancy and in childhood.

Mercury Causes Autism Symptoms

Mercury has been found to cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioural dysfunctions similar to traits defining/associated with ASDs, and that these similarities extend to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry.

These symptoms span social relatedness and communication, repetitive behaviors, and stereotypic abnormal movement patterns.

The Research Findings

• Mercurials may be found in drugs for the eye, ear, nose, throat, and skin; in bleaching creams; as preservatives in cosmetics, tooth pastes, lens solutions, vaccines, allergy test and immunotherapy solutions; in antiseptics, disinfectants, and contraceptives; in fungicides and herbicides; in dental fillings and thermometers; and many other products.

• Mercury has been to cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioural dysfunctions similar to traits defining/associated with ASDs. These similarities extend to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry.

• A review of molecular mechanisms showed that mercury exposure can induce death, disorganization and/or damage to selected neurons in the brain similar to that seen in recent ASD brain pathology studies. The researchers suggest that these neuronal alterations may likely produce the symptoms by which ASDs are diagnosed.

• A review of treatments suggests that ASD patients who undergo protocols to reduce mercury show significant clinical improvements in some cases.

The researchers note that in conclusion, the overwhelming preponderance of the evidence favours acceptance that Hg exposure is capable of causing some ASDs.

Environmental Toxins Can Inflame the Brain

Here’s another study that reviewed how heavy metals can cause autism through brain inflammation. The article in the Journal of Immunotoxicology is entitled "Theoretical aspects of autism: Causes--A review."

The author is Helen Ratajczak, who used to be a former senior scientist at a pharmaceutical firm.

Ratajczak did what nobody else apparently has bothered to do: she reviewed the body of published science since autism was first described in 1943. Not just one theory suggested by research such as the role of MMR shots, or the mercury preservative thimerosal; but all of them. You can read about her study here.

References:

• Geier DA, King PG, Sykes LK, Geier MR. A comprehensive review of mercury provoked autism. Indian J Med Res. 2008 Oct;128(4):383-411. PMID: 19106436.

• Heavy metals are a risk factor for autism since, according to previous studies, it has been recognised as a neurotrophic toxin. Check out the study here.

Study: Relationship Between Heavy Metals and Autism

What do autism and spectrum disorders in tiny children have in common with older people suffering with dementia? Their brains are chockful of heavy metals. These heavy metals be may exist in our environment naturally, or as impurities introduced through raw materials that are used in the production process -- of anything from cosmetics, household materials like paint, to the water you consume.

What Are Heavy Metals?

By definition, heavy metals are elements that can elicit adverse effects on the central nervous system and cognitive function. It is a huge and growing concern with far-reaching implications for human health, especially for the development of young children.

The most common heavy metals are elements, such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr), which can exert toxic effects on living organisms at even very low exposure levels.

When you are poisoned by heavy metals, you suffer severe and long-term consequences on the brain, resulting in cognitive impairment. Chronic exposure to heavy metals may interrupt the development of physical, muscular, and neurological conditions, that look a lot like diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disorders.

The Study: The Relationship between the Level of Copper, Lead, Mercury and Autism Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

We know about the likelihood of a possible relationship between the concentrations of copper, lead, and mercury and autism. Researchers in this study wanted to review various studies to determine the relationship between the concentrations of these elements and autism by meta-analysis.

They eventually chose 18 out of 95 selected studies, involving 2–16-year-old children from different countries from 1982 to 2019.

The Results

The results were significant.

In these 18 studies, 1797 patients (981 cases and 816 controls) aged 2 to 16 years were examined. Concentration of the samples (blood, hair, and nails) for both case and control groups was evaluated. There was no significant relationship between copper concentration and autism (SMD (95% CI): 0.02 (− 1.16,1.20); I2=97.7%; P=0.972); there was a significant relationship between mercury concentration and autism (SMD (95% CI): 1.96 (0.56,3.35); I2=98.6%; P=0.006); there was also a significant relationship between lead concentration and autism (SMD (95% CI): 2.81 (1.64,3.98); I2=97.8%; P=0.000).

These heavy metals were found in various parts of the children through tests, especially in their blood plasma and nails. You can check out the concentrations of copper, mercury and lead in samples of hair, nails, and plasma of the children with autism and a control group in studies— the results of the meta-analysis are presented in Table 1 of the study.

Due to the chemical properties of certain metals, excessive metal exposure can cause brain abnormalities.

The study was published in Pediatric Health Medicine.

Why is this study important?

The review examined multiple studies and found a very strong link between lead and mercury concentration and autism.

Yet, are you aware of just how pervasive these toxic heavy metals are in our environment? It's found in things from cosmetics, interior decor and materials like paint, down to our water supply and quality of air.

Compared with adults, children are more exposed to environmental toxic elements and also absorb them at a higher rate.

On the other hand, the chance of warding off elements’ toxicity in children is less than adults.

Evidence of mercury’s toxicity has been growing for decades, and in recent years is focused on the metal’s association with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Brain health is what makes us happy, creative, vital individuals. We can build all the muscle we want and look good on the outside, but it is our super powerful computing system that powers how we live every day. If you are serious about averting neurological crises and general degeneration, prioritise eliminating every source of heavy metals in your own home.

References & Notes:

• Jafari Mohammadabadi H, Rahmatian A, Sayehmiri F, Rafiei M. The Relationship Between the Level of Copper, Lead, Mercury and Autism Disorders: A Meta-Analysis. Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2020;11:369-378
  https://doi.org/10.2147/PHMT.S210042 Link: https://www.dovepress.com/the-relationship-between-the-level-of-copper-lead-mercury-and-autism-d-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PHMT

• Mercury is a risk factor for autism. Mercury is considered as a risk factor for autism since, according to previous studies, it has been recognized as a neurotrophic toxin. Check out the study here.

Study: Fluoride in Pregnancy Linked to Worse Child Behavior Outcomes

No one should be drinking straight from the tap municipal water. It very likely has contaminants that are linked to diseases such as cancers and neuro-degenerative diseases.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that fluoride is a human developmental neurotoxicant that reduces measures of intelligence in children, placing it into the same category as toxic metals (lead, methylmercury, arsenic) and polychlorinated biphenyls.

This article focuses on a 2024 cohort study looking at the baby’s exposure in the womb to fluoride and neuro and behavioral problems in the early years.

The study

In a cohort study of 229 mother-child pairs, researchers found that higher levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy were significantly associated with increased neurobehavioral problems in children by age 3.1 For each 0.68 mg/L increase in maternal urinary fluoride levels, children had nearly double the odds of total neurobehavioral issues reaching the borderline clinical or clinical range.[1]

They found:

1. a higher prenatal fluoride levels were tied to a 2.29-point increase in internalizing problem scores, including emotional reactivity, anxiety, withdrawal, and somatic complaints, as well as a 2.14-point increase in total neurobehavioral problem scores.3 

2. children of mothers with greater fluoride exposure were also rated higher on symptoms related to Autism Spectrum Disorder. As the authors note, these effect sizes are concerning given the relatively low fluoride levels in the study sample, which are typical for fluoridated areas in the US.

The JAMA study authors conclude that "there may be a need to establish recommendations for limiting fluoride exposure during the prenatal period," echoing previous calls from researchers and health advocates.

Fluoride and IQ

This study adds to a body of research going back at least decades on the impact of fluorosis on IQ.

In 2008, a China meta-analysis study examined the literature on the relationship between endemic fluorosis and children's intelligence development published between 1995 and 2007 were retrieved electronically and manually. Thirteen studies covered 2 508 children from the high fluoride group and 2 330 children from the control group.

The study suggested a negative correlation between high fluorosis exposure and children's intelligence development.

In 2023, another meta-analysis systematic review out of Italy analysed 30 studies out of 1996 potentially relevant literature records. The goal was to characterize this relation through a dose-response approach, by comparing the intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in the highest versus the lowest fluoride exposure category with a random-effects model

It concluded that their findings supported the overall evidence that an adverse effect of fluoride exposure on children's IQ, starting at low levels of exposure.

How can fluoride harm the brain?

Animal and cellular studies provide clues to the mechanisms behind fluoride's harmful neurodevelopmental impacts, including oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, disrupted neurotransmitter signaling, and altered thyroid function - all of which can derail healthy brain development.

Exposure to fluoride is linked to hypothyroidism, which negatively affects early neurodevelopment both in fetuses and newborn children (Peckham et al., 2015; Prezioso et al., 2018).

Fluoride compounds are also used in aluminum, petroleum, chemical, and plastics industries, therefore workers in such industries may be exposed to higher levels of fluoride — higher than the safety exposures — than the standard population.

You can administer fluoride yourself, with toothpastes, mouth rinses, gels, and varnishes.

Some countries take a whole community-based strategies (e.g., water, salt, and milk fluoridation), as well as individually prescribed drops or tablet supplementation. However, this raises concerns on the safety and efficacy both for dental and health in general.

Which countries in the world fluoridate their water

Water fluoridation is the adding of fluoride to a public water supply to the population. The policy was introduced in the 1930s in a bid to reduce tooth decay. It is typically at concentrations ranging from 0.7 mg/L to 1.2 mg/L.

Only three countries in the world have government/federal mandated fluoridation: Ireland, Singapore New Zealand. Only eight countries in the world have more than 50% of the population on fluoridated water: USA (70%), Australia (90%), Ireland (70%), Singapore (100%), Chile (70%), Brunei (95%), New Zealand (52%), and Malaysia (66%).

The whole of continental Europe is NOT fluoridated.

Only 10% of the UK is fluoridated.

References & resources

1. 1 Malin AJ, Eckel SP, Hu H, et al. Maternal Urinary Fluoride and Child Neurobehavior at Age 36 Months. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(5):e2411987. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.11987

2. Hypothyroidism is one https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935123000312#bib41

3. Read an extensive body of research in the GreenMedInfo.com database revealing fluoride's little-recognized dark side. With over 300 studies, the database links fluoride to more than 100 adverse health effects, from hypothyroidism6 and immune dysfunction7 to skeletal fluorosis and, most troublingly, neurotoxicity.

4. Learn about the environmental toxins that can impact children’s brain development.