General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "The increase was especially sharp among kindergartners, where autism cases grew by 17% last year." [View all]KT2000
(22,160 posts)the most critical time for development is the first 90 days. A portion of that time the woman does not even know she is pregnant. It is the environment in which she lives that is the problem.
Blood tests that have found toxic chemicals in the blood should tell us that those contaminants are going to the fetus as well. Women will have reduced chemical loads after giving birth and breast feeding.
The possible culprits are in many products - flame resistant treated products, cosmetics, yard chemicals, building materials, cleaning products etc. It is the timing of the exposure that could affect brain development and other systems. Please note that these exposures are invisible - we do not see the chemicals we are exposed to but they are there.
In other words - we are living in an environment that includes about 80,000 chemicals in common use - all but a few poorly researched. We will have to wake up soon and realize that our world is not conducive to creating healthy children as the indicators are there - increase in childhood cancers and neurological damage.
Look up hormone disrupting chemicals - you will be shocked.