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Dramatic difference in Hispanic autism rates - dependent on parental immigrant status
An interesting study came out last week from the CDC showing dramatic differences in autism rates in Hispanic children depending on whether their parents were both born in the US or were both immigrants. US-born Hispanic children whose parents are immigrants have a rate of autism around 1 in 300 which is about 1/3 the national average. However, US-born Hispanic children whose parents were both born in the United States have a rate of autism of 1 in 42 children which is double the national average. There are a variety of studies that indicate parental immigrant status as affecting autism risk but this is by far the largest sample. It compared 4,690 US-born Hispanic children to 37,265 US-born non-Hispanic white children. The study controlled for income and access to health care. Coming on the heels of the Korean study that found an ASD rate of 1 in 38 children, these numbers should give pause to any public health official.
Schieve LA, Boulet SL, Blumberg SJ, Kogan MD, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Boyle CA, Visser SN, Rice C. Disabil Health J. 2012 Jan;5(1):18-25. Association between parental nativity and autism spectrum disorder among US-born non-Hispanic white and Hispanic children, 2007 National Survey of Children's Health.
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SafeMinds has launched a new campaign to educate OB/GYNs about the dangers of thimerosal in flu vaccines for pregnant women and small children.
Take Action Help Spread the Word
View Campaign Materials Click here to view
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Exposure to Mercury from Skin-Lightening Creams
This brief report from the Centers for Disease Control highlights the dangers of using skin-lightening creams as many of them contain mercury. Consumers should avoid any package listing mercury, mercurio or calomel as an ingredient or any package that is unlabeled. These products have been documented in at least 6 cities. In this case 5 Mexican-American families in California and Virginia were tested for mercury poisoning and 15 of the 22 people tested had elevated levels of blood mercury. Non-users were asymptomatic, but included 4 males under age 2, three of whom had elevated blood mercury. Symptoms included "numbness, tingling, dizziness, forgetfulness, headaches and depression".
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Low Mercury in Children Affects Cortisol Levels
Cortisol is important for metabolism, immune response and blood pressure. Lower cortisol levels can result in chronic stress. The mercury levels in this study are about one fifth those currently considered "safe" by the EPA. As with lead, SafeMinds believes that there is no safe amount of mercury in the human body. Read more.
EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) is Just a Start
Despite all the news about EPA's "job killing" emissions standards, the truth is that many toxic pollutants are under-reported with significant impacts on local communities. Read more.
Many Species Affected by Environmental Mercury
A new report documents effects on reproduction in songbirds and flight in bats. Read more.
Still No Action on Dental Amalgam by the FDA
Read the latest update from Consumers for Dental Choice on the Mercola website. Click here to read.
Bleak Forecast for Mercury Pollution
Scientists have used global modeling to predict that in the best-case scenario, mercury levels in the United States will remain static and, in the worst-case scenario, they will increase by 30% by 2050. Dramatically increased use of coal in Asia will be one of the forces driving mercury pollution over the next few decades. Read a summary, here .
Oak Ridge Clean-up a Daunting Task
Since the 1950s, the Oak Ridge site in Knoxville, Tennessee has been waiting for clean-up crews. The former nuclear weapons plant may be contaminated with as much as 2 million pounds of mercury. Read more.
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Resources for our Readers
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