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Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders - A scientific consensus statement issued by over 50 prominent scientists - Released 20th February 2008
View Document - 37 A4 Pages - Released 20th February 2008

A scientific consensus statement has been issued by over 50 prominent scientists, with over 200 references, concluding that "...protecting children from neurotoxic environmental exposures from the earliest stages of fetal development through adolescence is clearly an essential public health measure if we are to help reduce the growing numbers of those with learning and developmental disorders and create an environment in which children can reach and maintain their full potential" (see entire statement, below).

Included in their list are those chemical exposures stemming from natural sources. While this is not specifically noted in the report, naturally occurring toxins found within damp buildings may be considered as a very common exposure source, both in schools, parent workplaces, and homes. (SMH)

The following report has been published by The Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI), a national working group of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (www.healthandenvironment.org).

Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders Developed by the Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative
November 7, 2007

http://www.iceh.org/pdfs/LDDI/LDDIStatement.pdf

The definitions of terms used in the consensus statement include the following:

"Environmental factors – In this document, “environmental factors” refers to a broader range of possible environmental influences than the environmental agents listed above. Environmental factors include pharmaceutical use, stress, other chemical agents or physical conditions that adversely affect learning or development."(p.20)

"Environmental agents – These include natural or synthetic chemicals, heavy metals (such as lead, mercury, cadmium), and naturally occurring compounds such as plant-derived estrogens."(p.20)

"Biomarker – A biological substance found in body fluids (blood, urine, breast milk) or tissues (fat) that can be measured and is associated with exposure to a contaminant. Biomarkers can help monitor exposure to contaminants and may help characterize individual susceptibilities to exposure. A biomarker of exposure is a measure of either the contaminant or a metabolite occurring shortly after exposure. A biomarker of effect is an enduring genetic change caused by a contaminant exposure that can be measured by changes in DNA or chromosome structures (such as genetic mutations). Biomarkers of effect are not necessarily specific to contaminant exposure. A biomarker of susceptibility is a gene or expression of a gene (polymorphism) that renders an individual more vulnerable to the adverse effects of contaminant exposure. For example, due to differences in enzymes some individuals may not be able to detoxify a contaminant as efficiently as others, resulting in higher levels of exposure and greater toxicity." (p.19)

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From http://www.iceh.org
LDDI Scientific Consensus Statement

LDDI has created a scientific consensus statement on environmental agents associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Download the complete document (PDF, 212 KB) or the executive summary (PDF, 14 KB). A separate statement of policy recommendations based on the scientic statement is being created and will be available for all to sign in the coming weeks.

A press release (see below) regarding this statement has been sent to the media.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

CONTACTS: Elise Miller, MEd - (360) 331-7904; emiller @ iceh.org
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Steve G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT – (206) 527-0926; sgilbert @ innd.org
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CONSENSUS STATEMENT: http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html
Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI)
Publishes Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Factors

February 20, 2008, Seattle, WA.

The Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative published today the Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (available at http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html).

This statement, signed by more than 50 scientists and health professionals nationally and internationally, summarizes the latest science about environmental contaminants associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. The statement, which has a glossary and over 200 references, was drafted and reviewed by a prestigious committee of scientists and health professionals based in North America. They concluded:

“Given the established knowledge, protecting children from neurotoxic environmental exposures from the earliest stages of fetal development through adolescence is clearly an essential public health measure if we are to help reduce the growing numbers of those with learning and developmental disorders and create an environment in which children can reach and maintain their full potential.” “We know enough now to move on with taking steps to protect our children. This document pulls that knowledge together to further this vital effort," said reviewer Martha Herbert, PhD, MD, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and a pediatric neurologist with subspecialty certification in neurodevelopmental disabilities at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Other researchers on the review committee underscored the cost-savings, policy-related and ethical implications of this consensus statement. “We could cut the health costs of childhood disabilities and disease by billions of dollars every year by minimizing contaminants in the environment,” said Phil Landrigan, MD, MSc, of the Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “Investing in our children’s health is both cost-effective and the right thing to do.”
“The overwhelming evidence shows that certain environmental exposures can contribute to life-long learning and developmental disorders,” noted Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, with the Science and Environmental Health Network. “We should eliminate children’s exposures to substances that we know can have these impacts by implementing stronger health-based policies requiring safer alternatives. Further, we must urgently examine other environmental contaminants of concern for which safety data are lacking. ” “The proportion of environmentally induced learning and developmental disabilities is a question of profound human, scientific and public policy significance,” said lead author Steven G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT, of the Institute of Neurotoxicology & Neurological Disorders, “and has implications for individuals, families, school systems, communities and the future of our society. The bottom line is it is our ethical responsibility to ensure all children have a healthy future.”

This document is designed for researchers, health professionals, health-affected groups, environmental health and justice organizations, policymakers and journalists to use as a resource for understanding and addressing concerns about links between environmental factors and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Link to download this document (32 A4 Pages): http://www.fluoridealert.org/scientific.consensus.nov.2007.pdf