Comments on: PVC Floors Linked to Autism?

By: Autism and the new Celiac Disease Link : Eco Child’s Play

Autism and the new Celiac Disease Link : Eco Child’s Play — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:13:40 +0000

[...] on various environmental factors in ASD. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastic may play a part. PVC has been linked to autism. And there has been a longstanding belief that thimerosol, a [...]

By: Autism Rates Significantly Higher Near Toxic Waste Sites : Eco Child’s Play

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:08:44 +0000

[...] I recently wrote over at Non-Toxic Kids about the new link between PVC flooring and autism. Cate Nelson also wrote about this issue for Eco-Child’s Play last [...]

By: The Augmented Environment

The Augmented Environment — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:59:47 +0000

[...] Read more of this story » [...]

By: Cate Nelson

Cate Nelson — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:37:53 +0000

I’ve tried to respond to you a few times, Johnny, but for some reason my comment keeps getting lost in Word Press.
FWIW, I did highlight, “These results are far from conclusive.” I thought that might be enough to show people that correlation is not causation. I certainly trust in the readers here to be educated enough to read what I write and make their own decisions.

I don’t believe that there is any one thing that causes ASD. Rather, it is a mix of environmental and genetic causes. I believe that is also what the UC Davis researchers who published the California study also think is worth delving into.

I also don’t put all my eggs in the CHEJ basket, as it were. I simply thought that having a few links to different studies might be helpful for those who want to read further on the matter.
Perhaps this one, from the NIH, might help:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15471731

Or these, from other sources. They may help people get on the path to delving deeper if they so choose:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6428931/The-Role-of-Exposure-to-Phthalates-from-Polyvinyl-Chloride-Products-in-the-Development-of-Asthma-and-Allergies-A-Systematic-Review-and-Metaanalysis

And these, from enviro groups (who often rely on governmental studies)
http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/04/phthalate-induced-asthma-gasping-for-breath.html
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/phthalates/2006/2006-1107jaakkolaetal.html

In any case, I don’t feel I’m “needlessly causing concern.” Phthalates are a problem, period. The worry about asthma is only one problem. If you want to go ahead and defend something that has been linked to a shorter androgenital distance (not too mention numerous other hormonal issues), please. By all means, be my guest.

More study should be done about this chemical and the many others we constantly expose our children to.

By: Johnny Lucid

Johnny Lucid — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:14:56 +0000

This “link” was discovered quite accidentally. Your readers should keep in mind that correlation DOES NOT equal causation. Referenced study shows no demonstrable (and repeatable) causation of autism by PVC or phthalate plasticizers.

“The asthma-phthalate link has certainly been demonstrated in studies before.” Not really if one takes time to read the studies in question. To assert this is to misrepresent the facts. Those previous studies are also cases of conflating correlation with causation.

In the end, all you are doing is needlessly causing concern and fear among parents. Not to mention giving far more credit than is deserved to intellectual and scientific bankrupts such as CHEJ and their ilk.