Another Culprit: Lead in Toys?
Speculation that the lead in children’s toys, and in particular toys from China (beware of Aqua Dots), is the cause of the “autism epidemic” appears in a letter in the November 11th Salt Lake Tribune.This connection might be especially hard to test—-can anyone keep track of all the toys one bought for one’s child, not to mention where they were from?—and seems mostly, indeed, speculative. If it is indeed the very toys we give our children to play with that is causing them to “get” something, this is yet another an indictment of parents, blamed for putting “poisons” into the hands (and mouths) of babes.
I guess I should be glad that Charlie has minimal interest in toys…….
23 opinions for Another Culprit: Lead in Toys?
KimJ
Nov 11, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Yeah, my son doesn’t have too many toys and the ones he does have, he rarely ever played with them. You know, that “unusual or inappropriate” play that they are known for?! He used to “play” with packaged toys at Target for a bit before putting them back. He had one Thomas the Tank Engine train whistle, I’m sure I played with it more than he ever did.
I doubt this one will be blamed on parents, but our regulatory system that is supposed to be monitoring this stuff, the toy manufacturers and our way too forgiving relationship with Chinese exporters.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Nov 11, 2007 at 3:15 pm
One thing I can say is that Charlie put a lot of things in his mouth for far longer than a toddler would (and not everything necessarily inspected by anyone for levels of anything).
Marla
Nov 11, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Our daughter did not play with toys until she was about four. She did however like to play with clothes piled on the floor for long periods of time. We had her tested three times for lead poisoning due to peoples comments causing me to be paranoid. Needless to say lead poisoning was never the problem.
Bink
Nov 11, 2007 at 4:16 pm
I do know people who are troubled by this. In particular I know a number of young ASD boys who have been obsessive about trains and who had many of the recalled ones, and tended to put them in their mouths and chew on them.
Bink
Nov 11, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Whoops, I read the letter after I posted. My mistake. The letter is strange and nasty — I babysat kids 20 years ago and they didn’t have just a few rattles and some kitchen things to play with. What utter nonsense. I still understand how parents whose kids love trains (those Thomas trains were a big thing for boys over the past 5 years or so, especially if one gave the regulation Train Table for the holidays) and have sensory/mouthing issues could feel a cold sweat break out over this issue.
Another Voice
Nov 11, 2007 at 5:40 pm
The person who wrote the letter appears to think that toys are a relatively new invention. They must have experienced a fairly grim childhood.
Cliff
Nov 11, 2007 at 6:53 pm
You’d think that it’d be more common in the past, given how lead paint has been recalled rather than increased.
Cliff
Regan
Nov 11, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Lead is on the radar, and rightfully so, now because of the toys, but I am old enough to recall the public health concern in the 70’s about lead in housepaint, lead in gasoline for engine lubrication, in the soil from flaking housepaint and gasoline fumes, solder on plumbing, lead pipes, lead crystal, lead glazes on eatingware, lead in art supplies and lead…toys!
Most of those are now strictly regulated and in most cases the lead additives have been removed and/or substitutes found.
So the paint is a legitimate concern and it is good to regulate that at the source, but I see the problem as decreasing rather than increasing.
Because we live in an older home, my girls have been tested for Lead…not elevated. If I was concerned, I would ask the pediatrician to have that done.
Lex Autism Blog and Podcast » Lead in Toys
Nov 11, 2007 at 8:54 pm
[…] at AutismVox, there’s a justifiably skeptical post about a letter to the editor suggesting that lead in toys might be responsible for the supposed […]
Kristina Chew, PhD
Nov 11, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Charlie was tested for heavy metals (this was my era of doing some DAN! things) and everything came back low. The DAN! practitioner (yes we used to see one……) was rather flummoxed at this. I was relieved, on several counts.
Schwartz
Nov 12, 2007 at 1:01 am
Lead’s effects on children and adults are better (not necessarily well) understood and certainly better studied than many other metals. There are numerous studies that show that even very low levels of lead exposure cause damage that are measurable by drops in IQ.
I have never seen any evidence of it being related to auto-immune disorders or to Autism. It has been shown to be linked to violent behaviour as well.
There is an interesting hypothesis that says that the increase in crime in the 1970’s and then subsequent decrease was due to lead poisoning which was lessened as it’s use was outlawed. This hypothesis is based on higher lead levels found in bones of inmates in US jails. It also correlates lead usage in non-US countries to increases in crime.
There is a plethora of lead usage in the third world today, and the hypothesis states that the crime rates will correspondingly rise in those countries until they outlaw the use of lead like we did here. (NY Times magazine published an article on this a few weeks ago)
Interesting stuff, no doubt.
The reality is that even low levels of lead exposure are very toxic to humans especially children. (there is new evidence to suggest that exposure levels below the EPA levels are also damaging)
Given the huge increase in dollar store toys coming from countries with widespread lead usage (i.e. China), combined with little to no consumer testing, there is a good chance, we’re seeing a blip of increased exposure in children.
Also, the increase in Home Renovations, often exposes lead that was previously locked away in paint etc…
Again, even low exposure rates are very damaging, but it is extremely easy to test for.
Regan
Nov 12, 2007 at 2:05 am
Just a couple of reviews that include the points Schwartz made, and reference lists of the studies and research.
POLICY STATEMENT
Lead Exposure in Children: Prevention, Detection, and Management
Committee on Environmental Health
PEDIATRICS Vol. 116 No. 4 October 2005, pp. 1036-1046 (doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1947)
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/116/4/1036?
REVIEW ARTICLE
Lidsky, T.I. and Schneider, J.S. (2003). Lead neurotoxicity in children: basic mechanisms and clinical correlates. Brain, Vol. 126, No. 1, 5-19
doi: 10.1093/brain/awg014
http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/126/1/5
Kristina Chew, PhD
Nov 12, 2007 at 2:10 am
I was also just reading about lead and children in the IOM’s Proceedings on the Workshop on Autism and the Environment.
Schwartz
Nov 12, 2007 at 10:10 pm
I’ll just add some opinion to this one because IMO the situtation is outrageous.
I think it is extremely ignorant and scandalous how the government let these companies get away with this toxic exposure in North America.
When the articles first broke a couple months ago, a Canadian doctor was quoted in the press as saying that you should remove the toys, but not to panic, since low exposure rates were perfectly safe. Only high accumulations were dangerous.
What a crock from a government source — and from a doctor no less! That statement goes contrary to all of the evidence gathered over decades!
And people wonder why I don’t just blindly trust anything the medical community says in an official capacity?
Elizabeth Patrick
Nov 12, 2007 at 11:51 pm
I am interested in any evidence of lead linked to autism. I am also trying to find valid information on signs of lead poisoning. Any ideas?
Kristina Chew, PhD
Nov 13, 2007 at 12:08 am
One point: To posit lead as linked to autism (at least lead in toys) would be to suggest that autism is not necessarily present at birth; that autism is something one develops. But might it rather be said that an autistic child might be more likely, due to sensory needs, to mouth toys far beyond the usual developmental age?
Here’s the CDC on lead, with links to toys and childhood lead exposure.
Schwartz
Nov 13, 2007 at 1:03 am
Low levels of lead exposure will not likely be immediately detectable other than a blood test. Your doctor should be able to order one without any issues though. If your child is showing signs of lead poisoning, that means the exposure is already pretty high.
Regan
Nov 13, 2007 at 8:58 am
Lead exposure is possible prenatally by mobilization from the mother’s bones, just like some other metals can be implicated prenatally.
passionlessDrone
Nov 13, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Hi Kristina -
“One point: To posit lead as linked to autism (at least lead in toys) would be to suggest that autism is not necessarily present at birth; that autism is something one develops”
Not necessarily. Exposure to lead has been shown to reduce intelligence; just because you are born dumb doesn’t mean you’ll get dumber if you eat a ton of lead paint.
This is a big disconnect I’ve only recently put my finger on to articulate; being ‘born with autism’ doesn’t mean that the environment cannot make it worse. If the envioronment is unable to affect autism; why bother with speech therapy, OT, risperdol, or anything else? Why shouldn’t we assume that the environment can also act to excascerbate autism?
Another important factor that I think is often missed in this kind of discussion is that there is plenty of research to show that in some instances, metals, toxins, or additives (or many other things, likely), can act synergistically.
Studying the toxicity of lead, mercury, cadmium, or whatever is great; but we aren’t exposed to just lead, mercury, or cadmium, but rather, all of these any many others all at the same time.
Take care!
- pD
passionlessDrone
Nov 13, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Oops, should have read :
“just because you are born dumb doesn’t mean you won’t get dumber if you eat a ton of lead paint. ” (sorry)
- pD
Kristina Chew, PhD
Nov 13, 2007 at 6:48 pm
True, but then this is leading into a more general discussion into the effects of lead on intelligence, rather than about the specific causes of autism.
Alex
Nov 13, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Lead Poisoning Symptoms
After being ingested, lead enters the bloodstream and is absorbed and stored in many tissues and organs in the body, including the liver, kidneys, brain, teeth and bones.
High levels of lead can cause serious health problems in your children. Lead poisoning can affect almost every organ system of the body, including:
brain and central nervous system, causing:
lower IQs
headaches
memory problems
reduced coordination
learning disabilities
irritability
hyperactivity
increased sleeping
decreased activity and fatigue
hearing loss
vomiting
slow reflexes
muscle weakness, affecting mainly the upper extremities
seizures, coma, hypertension in high levels
gastrointestinal system, causing:
constipation
diarrhea
abdominal pain
vomiting
poor appetite
weight loss
blood system, causing anemia or low blood counts
kidney problems
reproductive system, causing:
miscarriages
premature birth
low birth weight
If your child has any of these symptoms of lead poisoning and he is at risk for lead exposure then you should see your doctor immediately. Most children with lead poisoning do not have any symptoms, so if your child is at risk you should still have him tested even if he is not having any problems.
Some effects of lead poisoning, such as poor school performance because of a low IQ, do not show up until a child is much older, at which time they will probably have a normal lead level, and so may not be attributed to lead poisoning.
this was from
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/WELCOME/lead/leadsymptoms.html
This and Last’s Weeks Top Posts
Nov 17, 2007 at 4:29 pm
[…] Another Culprit: Lead in Toys?Speculation that the lead in children’s toys, and in particular toys from China (beware of Aqua Dots), is the cause of the “autism epidemic” appears in a letter in the November 11th Salt Lake Tribune.This […]
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: