A recent report in Lancet Neurology by Harvardscientists has detailed  

eleven chemicals that are known to cause changes in neuron development in the fetus as well as reduced IQ, ADHD, increased aggression, delinquent behavior and neurological abnormalities in school age children.
They are:

1. Lead

2. Methylmercury

3. Polychlorinated biphenyls (found in electric transformers, motors and capacitors)

4. Arsenic (found in soil and water, and legally fed to chickens)

5. Toluene (paint thinner and fingernail polish)

6. Manganese (found in drinking water and linked to IQ decline)

7. Fluoride (yes the same fluoride found in most water supplies, and can lead to 7 point drop in IQ))

8. Chlorpyrifos (organophosphate pesticide, linked to ADD)

9. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT, banned in 1972 in US and still found in umbilical chord blood samples)

10. Tetrachloroethylene (used in dry cleaning)

11. Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (flame retardant found in mattresses.  High levels found in breast milk)

Of all these neurotoxins perhaps the most widely available is fluoride.  Over 70 percent of public water is fluorinated to improve dental health.  Yet there have been more than 23 human studies and 100 animal studies linking fluoride tobrain damage. Fluoride can also increase manganese absorption, compounding problems, since manganese in drinking water has also been linked to lower IQ in children.

The take home message is clear.  When we ponder why the rate of childhood autism has skyrocketed to 1 in 77 males or why so many children are now diagnosed with ADHD, the role of numerous toxins documented to cause neuronal damage , both in isolation and synergistically in combination, must be considered. The researchers report that although establishing a clear causal connection between any one solvent and resultant damage to the fetus is difficult,the high levels of multiple solvents in mothers urine and blood, and brain disorders in their children should be ringing loud alarms.   In fact, as we reported earlier in this blog, the urine levels of neurotoxic pesticides are significantly higher in children with ADHD.  Eating organic and living toxin free may seem expensive in the short term, but long term it may prevent untold future brain damage across generations.

http://healthland.time.com/2014/02/14/children-exposed-to-more-brain-harming-chemicals-than-ever-before/

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(13)70278-3/fulltext

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/fluoride_b_2479833.html

http://healthland.time.com/2010/08/19/a-link-between-pesticides-and-attention-disorders/