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Toxin Exposure in Infancy Affects Health for a Lifetime

Health and Development Problems

Dr. Rapp has written a powerful book, Our Toxic World: A Wake Up Call (Environmental Medical Research Foundation, 2003). At the time it was published, more than 80,000 chemicals were in use in the United States, and less than 10 percent of them had been even partially evaluated for safety. Exposure to these chemicals can be dangerous for anyone at any age, but particularly so for the unborn, young children, women (especially pregnant women), and older individuals.

I asked Dr. Rapp if she believes health-related problems from environmental toxins are getting worse. “Without doubt,” she said. “Increasingly, I’ve seen kids come in with many different symptoms. Sometimes one child may have 20 or 30 complaints. I’ve also seen an increasing number of children who are perfectly normal until around 16 or 18 months of age, and then they become autistic. Some of them I can help, others I can’t.”

She continued, “The fetus is in great jeopardy. It’s being almost marinated in a solution of toxic chemicals. As an infant, [a child is] exposed to chemical-laden breast milk and further chemical insult from vaccinations administered to immature immune systems.” What’s more, sperm can become damaged from exposure to toxins up to three months prior to conception. Ova, too, can be damaged by exposure, further increasing the odds for abnormal development and future health problems in children.

Dr. Rapp’s clinical observations dovetail with research presented in a recent front-page story from the Los Angeles Times. Some of the world’s leading environmental scientists have warned that exposure to common chemicals makes babies more likely to develop an array of health problems later in life, including diabetes, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), prostate cancer, fertility problems, thyroid disorders, and even obesity. Concern that these chemically induced alterations might be passed on to subsequent generations also exists.

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