Hey, what’s the best way to link Halloween and an increasingly common childhood concern, such as attention deficit disorder? How about some scare-mongering in the form of an ostensibly educational article?
I received an email newsletter from the website, MedHelp.org, that encouraged me to learn about “8 ADHD Culprits Lurking in Your Home: Could your home be a haven for toxins that can cause ADHD?” Hmmm, I thought, I didn’t know that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was caused by toxins in my home! I like to think I keep up with the research literature, so this was a potentially eye-opening article.
Then I clicked through and found one of those infuriating “photo galleries” that show a stock photo next to each explanation of the toxin. These photo galleries are meant to do only one thing — generate clicks on the website. The article could just as easily be all on one page (and most photo galleries offer that option — but not this one).
Frustrated, I clicked through only to find the kind of shallow article that passes for health journalism nowadays. There are really only 4, possibly 5, toxins in the article — 3 are repeated in order to get to the magical number 8. The three big ones are: lead (in water pipes and paint; both of which have been banned for some time), phthalates, and organophosphate pesticides.
So just for fun, I decided to examine each claim and the research backing for it.
1. Baby Care Products
The claim: Exposure to phthalates has been linked to birth defects, asthma, reproductive problems — and now ADD/ADHD in children.
The claimed fix: Stop using items that contain dibutylphthalate (DBP), dimethylphthalate (DMP) and diethylphthalate (DEP) and use fragrance-free products.
The data: This claim is apparently based upon a single study conducted on 261 Korean children in 2009. The actual findings from the study? “After adjustment for covariates, teacher-rated ADHD scores were significantly associated with DEHP metabolites but not with DBP metabolites.”
The study has not been replicated, so its findings are not considered robust. And the study and has some obvious limitations — a different culture that may have different exposures to these chemicals; teacher-rated ADHD (ADHD in the U.S. is diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist, not teachers); not all covariates (possible confounds) were controlled for; the researchers studied symptoms associated with ADHD, not ADHD itself; and a limited subject pool, among other issues.
The result: This claim is bunk. Until research has replicated and expanded upon these findings, they should be taken with a healthy grain of salt (which has not been linked to ADHD — yet).
2. Paint On Your Walls
The claim: Peeling, chipping or cracking interior and exterior lead-based paint.
The claimed fix: Get your paint tested if house was built before 1978, when lead in paint was banned.
The data: Multiple studies have indicated a connection between lead levels in children’s blood and certain ADHD-like symptoms including hyperactivity and impulsivity. However, these correlations are occurring even at background exposure levels typical in western countries. In other words, children aren’t eating lead-based paint and then getting ADHD.
Increased lead-levels are found in groups of children diagnosed with ADHD, so there appears to be some sort of connection nonetheless. But probably not one you can do much about if it’s occurring even at background exposure levels, as studies have found.
The result: This claim has substance — don’t let your kids eat paint, especially if your house was painted before 1978. Good advice at any age.
3. Non-organic Produce
The claim: Organophosphate pesticides found on fruit that isn’t organically grown has been linked to higher rates of ADHD.
The claimed fix: Only buy organic fruits and vegetables when possible.
The data: The finding is based upon a single study that has not been replicated that analyzed data on a nationally representative sample of 1,139 US children. Increased organophosphate exposure was related to a doubling of risk of an ADHD diagnosis. However, the researchers did not assess the source of the exposure — so the connection to fruits and vegetables is an assumed one.
Previous research has shown a connection between very high organophosphate exposure (such as what one might get in a farming community) and a greater risk of developing ADHD.
The result: This claim has some substance, but it’s still only based on a single study. While we’re waiting for the followup studies in the meantime, wash your fruit and vegetables, whether it’s organic or not. Which you should have been doing anyway, since fruits and vegetables may come in contact with dirt, dirty shipping containers, dirty hands, etc.
4. Soft Plastic Toys
The claim: Exposure to phthalates — which can be found in sippy cups and teething toys — has been linked to birth defects, asthma, reproductive problems – and now ADD/ADHD in children.
The claimed fix: Stop using toys made before February 2009 when phthalates were banned from such toys in the U.S. by Congress.
The data: This is just a regurgitation of the first culprit, since they are the same thing — phthalates — just in a different form. As we noted in #1, this fear is based upon a single study that has yet to be replicated.
The result: The claim remains bunk. Since when has Congress been a scientific research body?
5. Candy and processed foods
The claim: Food coloring and preservatives (which ones?) have been linked to children exhibiting more hyperactivity and shorter attention spans in a 2007 British study.
The claimed fix: “Feed your family mostly whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, nonfat milk, nuts and lean proteins.”
The data: This is a long-running debate within the research community — over 30 years — and one that has data on both sides. Eigenmann et al. (2004) in the journal The Lancet called into question such studies showing a link, because of their poor controls and methodology.
In the June 2009 edition of the Harvard Mental Health Letter that reviewed the entire body of research on this issue, the authors conclude that the jury is still out on whether food additives, artificial coloring and preservatives contribute to ADHD.
In any case, the authors of even the 2007 British study cited by MedHelp caution that only a small minority of children are particularly vulnerable to artificial additives.
The result: The claim is mostly bunk, as the jury is still out on the question. Even if true, it would explain and account for less than 10 percent of those diagnosed with ADHD.
6. Tap Water
The claim: Lead pipes and lead solder contribute to increased and unhealthy lead levels in drinking water.
The claimed fix: Test your home for lead piping and replace.
The data: This is just a regurgitation of the second culprit, since they are the same thing — lead — just in a different form. Multiple studies have indicated a connection between lead levels in children’s blood and certain ADHD-like symptoms including hyperactivity and impulsivity.
However, installation of lead water pipes in people’s U.S. homes largely stopped in the 1930s and was banned in 1986. (Lead supply lines from your town’s water supply may be more commonplace, however, and are something to ask your town about.) The MedHelp article notes that up up 8 percent of “lead free” solder may be lead, but there’s been zero research linking lead-free solder to increased lead levels in drinking water, much less ADHD. In other words, most people living in newer, modern homes — anything built in the past 25 years — don’t have to worry about lead in their drinking water.
The simplest and least inexpensive solution to this problem if you’re uncertain — use a water filter. Every water filter on the market today — like Brita — filter out lead.
The result: The claim has substance but is easily fixed with an inexpensive water filter.
7. Bug Spray and Weed Killer
The claim: Bug spray, weed killer, termite exterminators contain organophosphate pesticides.
The claimed fix: Don’t use sprays that contain these pesticides, even though they are already banned from U.S. residential products.
The data: This is just a regurgitation of the third culprit, since they are the same thing — organophosphate pesticides — just in a different form.
The result: This claim has substance. Check with your lawn care provider if they use pesticides on your lawn, and if so, have your child avoid contact with your lawn after it has been treated.
8. Smoking
The claim: Nicotine exposure via smoking while pregnant increases the risk of ADHD.
The claimed fix: Don’t smoke while pregnant.
The data: MedHelp cites a 2007 Swedish study, but ignores the 2009 UK followup (Thepar, et al., 2009) in Biological Psyciatry that noted an important confounding factor — genetic inheritance. The UK researchers suggest that the observed association between maternal smoking in pregnancy and increased risk of ADHD might represent an inherited effect — not an effect of the smoking.
The result: This claim may have some substance, but it’s largely a moot point because there are dozens of health reasons not to smoke while pregnant (Besides, who still smokes while they’re pregnant nowadays?). And how is smoking an “ADHD culprit lurking in your home?”
Was it worth my time? Probably not, as most of these “culprits” most of us don’t have to worry about. And the ones you do have to worry about are readily fixed and account for a very small percentage of children who have attention deficit disorder.
Attention deficit disorder is not something you can “catch,” like the common cold or the flu. It is a serious mental disorder that is usually caused by a combination of biological (including genetic), psychological and social factors. These kinds of articles do a disservice to people’s general understanding and perception of ADHD by suggesting that ridding your life of these things will somehow inoculate your child against “catching” ADHD.
See the photo gallery for yourself: 8 ADHD Culprits Lurking in Your Home
10 comments
My toddler had unusually high levels of lead in his blood in spite of not having access to paint chips. If there is lead in the paint in your house it is very easy for it to rub off and become a fine, invisible dust that can only be contained through continuous damp sponging and mopping.
If your child’s level becomes elevated you have to deal with developmental evaluations, home evaluations, frequent blood tests (major ouch) and copious iron supplementation (massive ick).
We had to have our doors removed and stripped and repaint all of the trim and frames with a special lead-blocking paint.
Although the article appeared to me in my MedHelp newsletter today — a few days before Halloween — I should note that the article was actually published in June 2010.
Also: azodicarbonamide (sp?) is in most breads and baked goods on the shelves. It is banned in Europe because it can cause asthma. I dunno about ADHD, though.
Anecdotaly, we have banned in our household every thing that is “banned in Europe” (anywhere in Europe) and we are all healthier and much better-behaved/less cranky. “We can’t buy that, Mom, it’s ‘banned in Europe.'”
Tartrazine (yellow!) is also a bad one but basically I won’t buy anything with artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives (or high-fructose corn syrup).
Also: it’s possible to reduce one’s pesticide exposure and keep one’s produce expenditure down by following these guidelines for what is best to buy organic and what’s ok to buy conventional: http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
Yes, indeed, lead is a hazard to children. It always has been, and it’s a warning you hear constantly repeated in the media and whenever you’re interested in buying a home. In fact, there’s usually a waiver you must sign when you purchase your mortgage.
Out of all the claims the article made, the two based upon lead exposure seem to have the largest research evidence base. But we have already known for a few decades now that you should limit your child’s lead exposure, so this should not come as actionable news for most parents.
The ADHD / phthalate link is not the only concern; there is also the potential link with reproductive problems. This was not made up by Congress, as you claim; phthalates have been banned in children’s toys in the EU since 1999, long before the ADHD link was ever suggested. I agree with the EU’s policy of airing on the side of caution when it comes to potentially harmful substances and children: why take that risk? And what good could it possibly do children to chew on toys that are oozing chemicals into their mouths? (And yes, cheap PVC does sometimes literally “ooze” an oily substance, which from all I’ve read and heard, contains phthalates.)
The same thing goes for pesticide exposure – how could eating pesticides possibly be good for anyone? And it’s not just ADHD that’s at question here – it’s increased risk of certain cancers and various other problems.
I’m not really sure why you’re so keen to label caution when it comes to exposing children to chemicals as “fear mongering.” Of course this newsletter was all about advertising revenue – but that doesn’t change the fact that pretty much all of the items mentioned in this article should be avoided for a number of health reasons, not just because of perceived risk of ADHD.
Perhaps that’s a good point to underline — virtually nothing mentioned in this article is unique to protect against “getting” ADHD. Some of these things — like smoking and lead exposure — have — as I’ve already said — been linked for decades to childhood health concerns. This should be news to no one.
It’s “scare mongering” because it suggests that these things really are “lurking” in most people’s homes and can cause ADHD. There’s just very little research to show a causal relationship with any of this stuff and ADHD — and that’s what makes it scare mongering. Not the fact that some of these things actually are correlated with ADHD-like symptoms.
It’s sad that article writers rely on things like fear and sensationalism to get readers and clicks, but such is life, unfortunately.
The really unfortunate part is that most people won’t be like you and research the claims made by the article and instead will simply be scared out of their minds to make radical changes in their lives that may or may not ACTUALLY have anything to do with preventing ADHD. Like my husband’s ex who became a vegetarian so she wouldn’t get Mad Cow disease…
What many people don’t know is that chloramine, which is being used as a disinfectant in more and water water systems around the U.S., can leach lead from lead pipes and plumbing fixtures. (See the BIG problem in Washington D.C.) Chloramine also can cause respiratory, digestive, and/or skin problems. Please see http://www.chloramine.org for more information.
What the scare article fails to mention is that ADD or ADHD is one of the most over-diagnosed ailments. It is what I would call a fad diagnosis. Is it reasonable that 10 per cent of all 10-year-old boys have this ailment? Well those are the stats. Bunk!!!
Comments are closed.