Twenty-six years ago, Lynne Heilbrun rushed her young son to the emergency room, struggling to breathe. The doctor on duty had military training in chemical warfare, and he recognized the signs of organophosphate exposure: pesticide poisoning. That experience changed the course of Heilbrun’s life. She went on to earn a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in environmental science, and she now studies children’s environmental health at the UT San Antonio Kate Marmion School of Public Health.
Her team's latest study, published in Neurotoxicology and Teratology, looked at donated baby teeth from children with and without autism. Her team found more than 300 chemicals on average in each child’s tooth, whether or not the child had autism. These chemicals turn up in plastics, pesticides, food additives, fragrances, and the flame retardants in foam baby products. On average, children with autism had higher levels of 57 of the 60 compounds, and 19 were significantly higher.
This was a small pilot study, with teeth from 38 children: 22 with an autism diagnosis and 16 without. That means it comes with caveats. “We cannot prove causality,” Heilbrun said. “In other words, we can’t prove that these chemicals cause autism.” She hopes other researchers will build on the work and that more funding will follow.
In the meantime, she says parents have a right to know how to reduce exposures. She suggests starting small, with just one thing. Her first pick is cutting pesticide use indoors and wherever children play. Next, reduce fragrances in cleaning, laundry, and personal care products. Third, cut back on plastics, especially for cups, plates and utensils, and never heat food in plastic in the microwave. For babies, she recommends glass bottles and foam products labeled flame retardant-free.
If that sounds like a lot, Heilbrun said she understands. It took her more than 10 years to get her own home to a place in which she felt it was a healthy environment. “Eat the elephant one bite at a time,” she advised. She recommends consulting the website run by the Environmental Working Group for additional guidance.
