The Lancet Neurology, Volume 13, No. 3, p330–338, March 2014

Neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, and other cognitive impairments, affect millions of children worldwide and some diagnoses seem to be increasing in frequency. Industrial chemicals that injure the developing brain are among the known causes for this rise in prevalence.

In 2006, the study authors did a systematic review and identified five industrial chemicals as developmental neurotoxicants: lead, methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, arsenic, and toluene. Since 2006, epidemiological studies have documented six additional developmental neurotoxicants—manganese, fluoride, chlorpyrifos, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, and the polybrominated diphenyl ethers. We postulate that even more neurotoxicants remain undiscovered.

To control the pandemic of developmental neurotoxicity, we propose a global prevention strategy. Untested chemicals should not be presumed to be safe to brain development, and chemicals in existing use and all new chemicals must therefore be tested for developmental neurotoxicity. To coordinate these efforts and to accelerate translation of science into prevention, we propose the urgent formation of a new international clearinghouse.

• Dr Philippe Grandjean, MD^{a, b, ,} ,
• Philip J Landrigan, MD^c 
• ^aDepartment of Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; ^b Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; ^c Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

• Link to Article: The Lancet
• Link to pdf Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity

NOTE: This review received a mixed reaction from other scientists as you can see from this link but it is important to read and consider the evidence, reaction and implications for yourself