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Posted on 08/31/2025 1:48:39 PM PDT by Twotone
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised the alarm earlier this year about the meteoric rise of reported autism cases in the United States, underscoring at a press conference, "We are doing this to our children, and we need to put an end to it."
"The [autism spectrum disorder] prevalence rate in 8-year-olds is now 1 in 31," said Kennedy, referring to a study that examined children born in 2014. The health secretary noted further that American boys face an "extreme risk" of ending up with autism, stating that they have a 1 in 20 chance of being diagnosed with the condition — or a 1 in 12.5 chance in California.
Kennedy promised President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting in April that "by September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we'll be able to eliminate those exposures."
A study published this month in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMC Environmental Health could prove valuable to the Department of Health and Human Services' campaign to narrow down the possible causes of autism.
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles' School of Public Health, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai systematically reviewed 46 "well-designed" studies incorporating data from over 100,000 participants regarding the relationship between neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and prenatal exposure to acetaminophen.
Acetaminophen, the drug sold under the brand Tylenol in the United States and Canada, is the most common over-the-counter pain and fever medication used during pregnancy and is reportedly used by well over 50% of pregnant women worldwide.
The researchers found that 27 of the studies reported "significant links" between acetaminophen exposure in the womb and NDDs and noted that "higher-quality studies were more likely to show positive associations."
"Overall, the majority of the studies reported positive associations of prenatal acetaminophen use with ADHD, ASD, or NDDs in offspring, with risk-of-bias and strength-of-evidence ratings informing the overall synthesis," said the study.
When specifically evaluating the studies pertaining to Tylenol use and autism in children, the researchers found "strong evidence of a relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and increased risk of ASD in children."
The drug freely crosses the placental barrier, "reaching levels in fetal circulation similar to maternal circulation within less than an hour of maternal ingestion."
According to the researchers, the drug:
"undergoes oxidative metabolism via the enzyme CYP2E1 — present in fetal brains, placenta, and lungs — to produce toxic metabolites";
"affects prostaglandin and endocannabinoid pathways, which are involved in prenatal neuronal development";
has been shown in animal models to increase "oxidative stress markers in the fetal brain and is associated with neurodevelopmental deficits"; and
"directly perturbs hormone-dependent processes, affects neurodevelopment and reproductive disorders, and might alter steroidogenesis in the placenta and induce placental damage."
Dr. Diddier Prada, an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said in a release, "Our findings show that higher-quality studies are more likely to show a link between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and increased risks of autism and ADHD."
"Given the widespread use of this medication, even a small increase in risk could have major public health implications," added Prada.
Mount Sinai noted that while the damning study "does not show that acetaminophen directly causes neurodevelopmental disorders," "the research team’s findings strengthen the evidence for a connection and raise concerns about current clinical practices."
The medical community has long raised concern about the possible downsides of acetaminophen consumption during pregnancy.
An international coalition of public health experts said in a consensus statement published on Sept. 23, 2021, in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology that "increasing experimental and epidemiological research suggests that prenatal exposure to APAP [acetaminophen] might alter fetal development, which could increase the risks of some neurodevelopmental, reproductive, and urogenital disorders."
"Epidemiological studies consistently suggest prenatal APAP exposure might increase the risk of adverse neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, language delay (in girls) and decreased intelligence quotient," said the experts. "Collectively, the studies suggest that the timing and duration of maternal APAP use are critical factors."
HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard told Blaze News that HHS does not comment on outside studies. Hilliard noted, however, that "under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, HHS is taking action guided by gold-standard, evidence-based science. This work is ongoing, and the department will follow the science wherever it leads."
Tylenol does not appear to be particularly pleased with the study.
A company spokesperson for Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, said in a statement to Blaze News, "Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products. We continue to evaluate the science, and this study does not change our view that there is no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and fetal developmental issues."
"To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and leading medical organizations agree on the safety of acetaminophen, its use during pregnancy, and the information provided on the label," added the spokesperson.
A source close to Tylenol noted further that "it appears the study was designed for litigation and not public health, as two of the authors are experts for the plaintiffs in the acetaminophen litigation."
Harvard University's Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, one of the authors on the study, served as an expert witness on matters of general causation involving acetaminophen use during pregnancy in a multi-district litigation class-action lawsuit against Tylenol.
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There was until the patents ran out.
Redefinitions and greater awareness account for roughly 25% of the increase according to most peer reviewed journals.
The main problem with acetaminophen is interference with the endocannabinoid system.
Not only is there a correlation but there is a known mechanism by which acetaminophen can alter fetal brain development and lead to autism.
Those that think, or want to say, there is no link between autism and ANY pharmaceuticals of any kind, keep choosing to say that the only thing that has changed is that the diagnosis for autism and ADHD is granted much more often than in the past - that it merely often went undiagnosed in the past. That is the unified contesting theory that crops up against any study or group of studies suggested a drug link.
When my son was young, plenty of people – other parents, social workers and medical professionals – seemed to take personal issue with David’s diagnosis. For all sorts of reasons, they didn’t want to believe it.
The simplest retort, I discovered, was to let them spend a couple of minutes with him.
My son was a screamer. He could hit a note of ear-piercing intensity and hold it indefinitely, barely breaking for breath – and no amount of pleading, cuddling or bribing could stop him.
Members of the public have threatened me with violence if I failed to make him stop – or even threatened to hit David. Complete strangers, hearing one of his meltdowns, have banged on our front door and tried to intervene. On one occasion, we were ordered out of the waiting room at Bristol Children’s Hospital and told that, if we wanted to see a doctor, we’d have to wait in the car park because David’s screaming was so unbearably intense.
In the UK, the first cases began to be noticed in the 1950s, when they were classified under ‘childhood schizophrenia’. The first British doctor to use the term ‘autism’ was Mildred Creak, a psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street hospital, in 1963.
In other words, autism was unknown in Britain before the Beatles era.
WIKI
In 1963, paracetamol was added to the British Pharmacopoeia, and has gained popularity since then as an analgesic agent with few side-effects and little interaction with other pharmaceutical agents.
Concerns about paracetamol’s safety delayed its widespread acceptance until the 1970s, but in the 1980s paracetamol sales exceeded those of aspirin in many countries, including the United Kingdom.
In June 2009, an FDA advisory committee recommended that new restrictions be placed on paracetamol use in the United States to help protect people from the potential toxic effects. The maximum single adult dosage would be decreased from 1000 mg to 650 mg
In January 2011, the FDA asked manufacturers of prescription combination products containing paracetamol to limit its amount to no more than 325 mg per tablet or capsule
Pain after a dental surgery provides a reliable model for the action of analgesics on other kinds of acute pain. For the relief of such pain, paracetamol is inferior to ibuprofen. Full therapeutic doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ibuprofen, naproxen, or diclofenac are clearly more efficacious than the paracetamol/codeine combination which is frequently prescribed for dental pain. The combinations of paracetamol and NSAIDs ibuprofen or diclofenac are promising, possibly offering better pain control than either paracetamol or the NSAID alone. Additionally, the paracetamol/ibuprofen combination may be superior to paracetamol/codeine and ibuprofen/codeine combinations
Paracetamol, in a small-scale meta-analysis was also associated with a 20–30% increase in autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder, with the association being lower in a meta-analysis where a larger demographic was used
Paracetamol is extremely toxic to cats, which lack the necessary UGT1A6 enzyme to detoxify it. Initial symptoms include vomiting, salivation, and discoloration of the tongue and gums. Unlike an overdose in humans, liver damage is rarely the cause of death; instead, methemoglobin formation and the production of Heinz bodies in red blood cells inhibit oxygen transport by the blood, causing asphyxiation (methemoglobinemia and hemolytic anemia).
Paracetamol is lethal to snakes and has been suggested as a chemical control program for the invasive brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) in Guam. Doses of 80 mg are inserted into dead mice that are scattered by helicopter as lethal bait to be consumed by the snakes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol
Doctors stopped recommending Aspirin because it causes digestive tract bleeding. Sometime severe bleeding. One estimate I read was it contributed to between 7 and 10 thousand deaths per year in the US back when it was a main line drug.
On September 29, 1982, a “Tylenol scare” began when the first of seven individuals died in the Chicago metropolitan area after ingesting Extra Strength Tylenol that had been deliberately contaminated with cyanide. Within a week, the company pulled 31 million bottles of tablets back from retailers, making it one of the first major product recalls in American history.
Before the poisonings, Tylenol brands held around 35% of the US market for acetaminophen and in the immediate aftermath, fell to 8%. Within a year sales had rebounded to the prior levels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tylenol_(brand)
There would have been a drop in autism for children born around then for much of a year if acetaminophen was the cause of autism.
Good observation.
Thanks to all posters. Informative thread. Health / life BUMP!
Holy chit!!!
When I was pregnant with my four children, the rule was to prescribe as little as possible to pregnant women, including otc’s. Tylenol is not and never was a drug to be taken for granted. Not to sound like a broken record, but I believe it should be a prescription drug.
A company spokesperson for Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, said in a statement to Blaze News, “Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products. We continue to evaluate the science, and this study does not change our view that there is no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and fetal developmental issues.”
It’s not as if they’re going to say anything else.
Carrying a child is painful? I always felt fabulous when I was pregnant, but I guess everyone doesn’t have that experience.
That’s wonderful that you had a good experience while being pregnant. I honestly don’t know, and will never know first hand, me being a man. I’m sort of repeating what I’ve often heard from women, but as with yourself, each woman will have her own unique experience.
Pregnant women should refrain from all meds, I don’t trust any of them for use in pregnancy...better safe than sorry.
I know a bit about such things...
The fiasco caused by a seemingly innocuous anti-nausea drug (thalidomide) resulted in heart rending birth defects :-/
I’m not pregnant, even though some say that men can get pregnant. I use Aspirin. Bayer usually. Never went in for those other pain relivers.
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