ADHD has been correlated with exposure to numerous industrial and environmental chemicals. The long list includes cigarette smoke, lead, pesticides, gasoline fumes, herbicides, disinfectants, furniture polishes, air fresheners, mercury, manganese, fluoride, dry cleaning fluid, arsenic, PCBs, and all kinds of solvents. About 80,000 chemicals are registered in the United States, and about 1,000 are know to cause neurotoxicity in animals, and 200 are toxic to human brains. Five chemicals have been documented to affect human brain development.

Researchers Phillippe Grandjean, professor of environmental health at Harvard University, and colleagues have suggested that a number of chemicals may be causing a silent pandemic of brain disorders during fetal and childhood development. An important point is that although only moderate amounts of mercury, lead, or other chemicals may damage neurological function in adults, only small amounts are needed to affect the developing brains of babies, infants, and young children.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins examined the experimental effect of lead toxicity on the developing structure of the neocortex region in the brain. Stacked with layers of nerve cells, the neocortex has a critical role in processing information. Because of its plasticity during early childhood, it is highly vulnerable to damage.

Braun et al. (2006) cites numerous studies of a significant association between prenatal environmental tobacco smoke and ADHD behaviors. In case-controlled studies, investigators found a two- to fourfold increased risk.

Many poisons come from unexpected sources. Eating vegetables and fruits that are not thoroughly washed is a source. Beds and carpets are dangerous places in a house because they are full of different types of dust and other toxins that can cause hyperactivity, attention deficits, irritability, and learning problems. High levels of mercury can be found in dental fillings. Children whose mothers have mercury amalgam fillings and grind their teeth are a risk for exposure to high mercury levels. Many European countries have discontinued the use of mercury fillings because of possible side effects.

Bibliography:

1) Braun, Joe et al. 2006. Exposures to environmental toxicants and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in U.S. children. Environmental Health Perspectives 114(12):1904-09.

2) ADD Information Library. ''Mercury Poisoning, Heavy Metal or Chemical Toxicity, and Brain Development.'' ADHD Mental Health.

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