ASD is a developmental disorder of the brain. ASD usually appears during the first three years of a child's life and occurs in approximately 1 in every 500 children. A person named Leo Kanner first discovered autism in 1943. In the 1990's, autism began to rapidly increase in children. There is currently a slight decrease in the number of annual autism diagnoses. There are also many environmental triggers that can cause ASD.
Mercury in vaccines may trigger ASD. Scientist does not fully understand how Mercury affects children, but it has been shown that mercury can interfere with the signaling pathways in a child's developing brain and the modulations of proteins that regulate the immune system. Thimerosal is a compound that contains 49% mercury by weight. Thimerosal is used as a preservative in vaccines. It was first added to vaccines in the 1930's and by 1990's, babies and young children were receiving multiple vaccines that contain the preservative thimerosal. In 1999, thimerosal was removed from many vaccines because of convincing groups of doctors and parents.
Mercury in seafood can also trigger ASD. Mercury can end up in many bodies of water due to industrial pollution. When humans eat these fish that is now contaminated by the mercury in the water, the mercury will end up in the human's body. Mercury is proved to damage the brain and nerve system. If a fetus or infant is exposed to mercury, there is a chance the child will have brain damage. When the pregnant mother who is carrying the fetus eats seafood with traces of mercury in it, the mercury will enter the blood of the mother which can be fed to the baby inside of the mother's uterus through the placenta. When this mercury enters the fetus, it can damage the fetus' brain cells which can lead to autism.
Another environmental trigger of ASD can be pesticides. A recent study in California found autism in 8 of 29 children whose mother's lived in a field that has been sprayed with pesticide. Other studies show women during the first eight weeks of pregnancy who lived near farm fields sprayed with pesticides are several times more likely to give birth to children with autism. Some people say the studies done with pesticides don't prove anything because the studies used a small amount of women and children. There currently is no evidence that organochlorines such as dicofol and endosulfan can cause autism, but both of these chemicals affect nerves and the brain. Also, dicofol is a possible human carcinogen. Although there is no evidence, studies show as distance from a field sprayed with pesticides increased, there were less cases of autism.
There currently are no cures for ASD. We learned about possible environmental triggers of ASD such as mercury in vaccines, mercury in seafood, and pesticide use in fields. A child with ASD may prefer to be alone, may spin objects, may resist cuddling, may avoid eye contact, may avoid touching, may have frequent tantrums, or have no fear of danger. A pregnant mother can avoid their child having ASD if they avoid vaccines with thiomersal because it contains traces of mercury. Also, during pregnancy, the mother should avoid eating a lot of seafood that contains traces of mercury. To avoid ASD in their child, a pregnant mother should live away from a field that has been sprayed with pesticides. The best distance would be 500 meters away from the field.
