Kinder leiden und sterben an Krankheiten, die in der Forschung mit der Exposition gegenüber synthetischen Chemikalien und Kunststoffen in Verbindung gebracht werden, schlägt eine neue Überprüfung vor. Die Häufigkeit von Krebserkrankungen im Kindesalter ist um 35 % gestiegen, die Häufigkeit männlicher Fortpflanzungsfehler hat sich verdoppelt und jedes sechste Kind ist von neurologischen Entwicklungsstörungen betroffen.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

[https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2409092](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2409092)

Abstract

Multiple diseases in children have been linked to manufactured synthetic chemicals, which are subject to few legal or policy constraints. A revamping of law and restructuring of the chemical industry are required.

From the linked article:

Children are suffering and dying from diseases that emerging scientific research has linked to chemical exposures, findings that require urgent revamping of laws around the world, according to [a new paper](http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2409092) published on Wednesday in the [New England Journal of Medicine](https://www.nejm.org/about-nejm/about-nejm#:~:text=The%20New%20England%20Journal%20of%20Medicine%20(NEJM)%20is%20recognized%20as,and%20the%20global%20medical%20community.) (NEJM).

Authored by more than 20 leading public health researchers, including one from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and another from the United Nations, the paper lays out “a large body of evidence” linking multiple childhood diseases to synthetic chemicals and recommends a series of aggressive actions to try to better protect children.

The paper points to data showing global inventories of roughly 350,000 synthetic chemicals, chemical mixtures and plastics, most of which are derived from fossil fuels. Production has expanded 50-fold since 1950, and is currently increasing by about 3% a year – projected to triple by 2050, the paper states.

Meanwhile, noncommunicable diseases, including many that research shows can be caused by synthetic chemicals, are rising in children and have become the principal cause of death and illness for children, the authors write.

The paper identifies several disturbing data points for trend lines over the last 50 years. They include incidence of childhood cancers up 35%, male reproductive birth defects have doubled in frequency and neurodevelopmental disorders are affecting one child in six. Autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed in one in 36 children, pediatric asthma has tripled in prevalence and pediatric obesity prevalence has nearly quadrupled, driving a “sharp increase in Type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents”.

The authors cite research documenting how “even brief, low-level exposures to toxic chemicals during early vulnerable periods” in a child’s development can cause disease and disability. Prenatal exposures are particularly hazardous, the paper states.

“Diseases caused by toxic chemical exposures in childhood can lead to massive economic losses, including health care expenditures and productivity losses resulting from reduced cognitive function, physical disabilities, and premature death,” the paper notes. “The chemical industry largely externalizes these costs and imposes them on governments and taxpayers.”

Well that’s not terrifying

Capitalism is a disease that needs to be eradicated.