Does environmental disruption appear to increase the risk of psychiatric illness? Yes. Is there evidence that rising rates of autistic spectrum disorders are associated with pollution resulting from our toxic effluvia? Yes.

References, please?

Glad you asked. Here are two references – the first from a large study in Texas demonstrating specific association with mercury pollution (produced in coal-burning power plants, among other sources – kjm).

The second reference demonstrates an association with general urban “air pollution” in urban areas. The text below is from an LA Times article – the study was conducted by the California Dept of Health.

Many more refs can be found with a search on medline or even google…..

(Pairing search terms “autism” and “pollution” yielded the above on the first three google pages…. happy hunting!)

(1)

Environmental mercury release, special education rates, and autism disorder: an ecological study of Texas

Raymond F. Palmera, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, Steven Blanchardb, Zachary Steina, David Mandellc and Claudia Millera

aUniversity of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio Department of Family and Community Medicine, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900, USA
bDepartment of Sociology, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, USA
cUniversity of Pennsylvania Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research, USA

Accepted 1 November 2004. Available online 17 February 2005.

Abstract

The association between environmentally released mercury, special education and autism rates in Texas was investigated using data from the Texas Education Department and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. A Poisson regression analysis adjusted for school district population size, economic and demographic factors was used. There was a significant increase in the rates of special education students and autism rates associated with increases in environmentally released mercury. On average, for each 1000 lb of environmentally released mercury, there was a 43% increase in the rate of special education services and a 61% increase in the rate of autism. The association between environmentally released mercury and special education rates were fully mediated by increased autism rates. This ecological study suggests the need for further research regarding the association between environmentally released mercury and developmental disorders such as autism. These results have implications for policy planning and cost analysis.

Keywords: Mercury; Special education; Autism; Environmental toxins; Ecological

Corresponding Author Contact InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: 210 358 3883.

Health & Place
Volume 12, Issue 2 , June 2006, Pages 203-209

(2)

Study Links Air Pollutants with Autism
Bay Area children with the disorder are 50% likelier to be from areas
high in several toxic substances. Scientists say more research is
needed.
By Marla Cone
Times Staff Writer
June 23, 2006
Children with autism disorders in the San Francisco Bay Area were 50% more
likely to be born in neighborhoods with high amounts of several toxic air
contaminants, particularly mercury, according to a first-of-its-kind study by the
California Department of Health Services.
The new findings, which surprised the researchers, suggest that a mother’s
exposure to industrial air pollutants while pregnant might increase her child’s risk
of autism, a neurological condition increasingly diagnosed in the last 10 years.

[cut]

The study compared 284 children from six Bay Area counties
who were diagnosed as having so-called autism spectrum disorders — which
include a less-severe syndrome called Asperger’s — with 657 children from the
same counties without the disorders. All were born in 1994.
The scientists reviewed data for 19 hazardous air pollutants that are known or
suspected neurotoxins: chemicals that have a toxic effect on the brain.
They found that the children with the autism disorders were 50% more likely than
the non-autistic children to be born in areas with higher estimated levels of three
metals and two chlorinated solvents: mercury, cadmium, nickel, trichloroethylene
and vinyl chloride. No significant link was found with 14 other solvents and
metals, including compounds such as lead, benzene and chromium.
The national autism rate is six children per 1,000, so a 50% increase would
elevate that rate to nine per 1,000.

[cut]

The biggest increase came with heavy metals including mercury, a pollutant from
power plants, factories and mines that can disrupt brain development.
The Bay Area was chosen for the study because extensive data are readily
available there because of a federally funded program to count and track autistic
children. The region’s toxic air pollution is considered typical for urban areas.
San Francisco County had the highest estimated levels of metals and solvents,
including mercury, and Marin County had the lowest of those studied. But the
researchers did not compare autism prevalence by county.
In their report, published online Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health
Perspectives, the authors said their research “suggests that living in areas with
higher ambient levels of hazardous air pollutants, particularly metals and
chlorinated solvents, during pregnancy or early childhood, may be associated
with a moderately increased risk of autism. These findings illuminate the need for
further scientific investigation, as they are biologically plausible but preliminary
and require confirmation.”

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. Thank you very much. I am truly honored and delighted to have the opportunity to swear in Mark Dybul as our next Global AIDS Coordinator. I am pleased to do that in the presence of Mark’s parents, Claire and Richard; his partner, Jason; and his mother-in-law, Marilyn. You have wonderful family to support you, Mark, and I know that’s always important to us. Welcome.

Maybe Condi’s just trying to bat from both sides of the plate?

References, please?

On th topic at hand: No matter how hypocritical these people are – unless this fellow is from Massachusetts and these two men are in fact legally married, “Marilyn” is absolutely NOT this man’s mother-in-law! Is Condi going to piss off the fundies “needlessly”? She could have just introduced her as Mrs. (or Ms.) Marilyn Claire, and be done with it.

am considering becoming a comedian with all the horribly funny nonsense being spit out. would call myself the “sociopathic comedian” and just make death and killing look good, and probably be real popular at the koolaid luncheons.
there must be a substantial number of sick people in our society. mental illness beyond, far beyond what we envision. forget the homeless poor ill, they are just trying to survive. the ones that are living typical american dreams. on tranqs, mood elevators, alcohol, depressants, anti psychotics, anti depressants. I wish that it could be explained to people that their lifestyle is the cause of these drugs, and before they experiment with either, the lifestyle or the drugs. It might save a few folks from making horrible mistakes.

if you have any doubts, look at our leaders. we should be allowed to know what medication that effects their mental state they are taking, and even more importantly, what they are prescribed that they are not taking

err…oldtree

Global epidemiologic catchment area surveys conducted over the last twenty years have demonstrated that rates of major psychiatric disorders (”mood disorders” including depression and bipolar disorder; “thought disorders” including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders; “anxiety disorders” including panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder) are relatively inviariant.

A myriad of studies (many focusing on hapless pairs of biological twins raised separately) demonstrate very strong genetic bases for the severe psychiatric disorders above as well for alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse.

Thomas Szasz’s facile theorizing that there is no biological basis for psychiatric disorders preceded modern genetic analysis and functional cerebral imaging.

Functional cerebral imaging employing both positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging both demonstrate very specific, localized regions of abnormal patterns of neuronal activity highly correlated with very specific diagnoses. These observations have proven to be highly replicable, demonstrating specific anatomic regions in the central nervous system appear to be associated with specific diagnoses (when the neurons in those areas function abnormally).

Oh, yeah. Descriptions of the symptomatic pattern connsistent with major depression have been known since antiquity.

The hypothesis that severe psychiatric disorders are the result of psychotropic medications would be amusing if it didn’t hurt so many people.

I spend half the work week with chronically mentally ill patients who – when they stop taking their meds – show the symptoms they developed before they were ever medicated – and then require re-hospitalization.

Can psychotropic meds cause side effects? You betcha, lots. Can antidepressants engender manic episodes in bipolar patients who are not taking mood stabilizers? Absolutely – and with 90% of antidepressants prescribed by non-psychiatrists, a lot of people with undiagnosed biploar disorder have awful experiences when prescibed antidepressants by uniformed clinicians.

Does environmental disruption appear to increase the risk of psychiatric illness? Yes. Is there evidence that rising rates of autistic spectrum disprders are associated with pollution resulting fro our toxic effluvia? Yes.

My fellowship – my additional training after my specialty training in psychiatry – was in consultation liasion psychiatry. That’s the branch of psychiatry dealing with the mental health needs of patients receiving medical and surgical care. I ended working with surgical trauma teams, transplantation teams, and oncology teams.

The sad fact of modern high-tech medicine is that our tools are immensely powerful, and when they cause injury, the damage can be enormous.

Misdiagnosis is the most effective way I know to ensure treatments will be at best useless. Inept treatment of the correct diagnosis is another great way to hurt patients. I saw of more the consequences of both than any lay person can possibly imagine. (Our academic hospital drew from a very large region, so we got to see a lot of what passes for care in many offices).

I share your belief that national office holders shold be open with the public about diagnoses that may affect performance of their official duties.

As long as the Scientologists and the likes of Tom Cruise open their wallets and schedules to fund the disinformation campaign regarding the central nervous system diagnoses, I doubt the US public will have the understanding required to assess needs for mental health treatment in anyone.

Depression currently causes a greater hit to work prodcutivity in the US than does cardiac disease.

A century ago people were ashamed of heart disease. Social stigma, predjudice, and ignorance caused suffering and death.

Half a century ago people were asahamed of cancer. Social stigma, predjudice, and ignorance caused suffering and death.

Today people are ashamed of brain diseases known as psychiatric disorders. Social stigma, predjudice, and ignorance cause suffering and death.

Currently a patient correctly diagnosed with unipolar depressive disodrer (major depression) is more likely to respond to the first trial of (appropriately chosen) medications than is a patient with hypertension.

From the doc’s point of view, that means treating depression is pretty easy – but only if I and the patient will admit it is there in the first place.

Prejudice and ignornace make that a lot less likely.

While I commend your evident desire to reduce suffering, I am not at all in agreement with the inaccurate information and conclusions you stated regarding psychiatric illness.

I hope that the information I provided above will assist you in providinng more accurate information in the future.

Impeachment will divide, investigations will educate without all the pomp and media circus. Just my $.02.

What I’m hoping is that they dig up every detective, living and dead, and put them to work. I’m betting that there’s something so ugly, that no one knows about, that impeachment would not be an option–there would be a general outcry once that bit of shit was revealed.