'Silent pandemic' alert on industrial pollution 2006 11 09
Millions of children worldwide may have suffered brain damage as
a direct result of industrial pollution, scientists said
yesterday. An explosive report from American and Danish
researchers talks of a "silent pandemic" of disorders caused by
toxic chemicals spilling into the environment. They include
conditions such as autism, attention deficit disorder, mental
retardation and cerebral palsy. All are common and can result in
lifelong disability, but their causes are largely unknown. The
scientists identified 202 industrial chemicals with the
potential to damage the human brain and said they were likely to
be the "tip of a very large iceberg". More than 1,000 chemicals
are known to be neurotoxic in animals and are also likely to be
harmful to humans. The researchers made an urgent call for much
tighter worldwide controls on chemicals and a "precautionary
approach" to testing. Tougher regulations being introduced by
the European Union do not go far enou