A prominent doctor has highlighted an unexpected connection between autism and a common household item.
Dr. Daniel Amen, a clinical neuroscientist and psychiatrist, is also a 12-time New York Times best-selling author.
Throughout his career, he has been interviewed frequently, including by Diary of a CEO podcaster Steven Bartlett. During one of these interviews, he recounted examining the brain of Kip Kenkel.
Kenkel, at 15 years old, perpetrated a school shooting in Oregon and subsequently killed his parents. Dr. Amen described Kenkel’s brain as ‘awful’, stating, “I’d never seen a 15-year-old that had a brain so damaged and his life reflected it.”
More recently, Dr. Amen appeared on Tucker Carlson’s podcast discussing topics such as marijuana, obesity, and how AI might be affecting our brains.
There has been significant debate in America concerning autism, especially following the Trump administration’s unfounded claims that Tylenol is linked to the condition.
Dr. Amen also mentioned a potential cause of autism, surprisingly associating it with sunscreen use.
“The dermatologists won,” he said to Carlson. “They made us afraid of the sun, and now we have record levels of low vitamin D levels, but we also have record levels of toxins being put on our bodies.”
He elaborated: “So, mom thinks she’s really being a great mom if she lathers her son or daughter in sunscreen.
“And now you’ve seen that in the last couple of years, sunscreens have come under a lot of scrutiny because of the toxins they have in them. If you put it on someone’s skin it goes into their body.”
When prompted to specify which ‘toxins’ he was referring to, Dr. Amen mentioned ‘parabens and phthalates’.
He added: “There was a brand new study that looked at cord blood [the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after a baby’s birth] and autism, and moms who had higher levels of phthalates have five times more risk of having an autistic child.”
Although no studies have directly linked sunscreen to autism in children, research has been conducted on how phthalate exposure can affect children before and after birth.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explains that phthalates are ‘used for many purposes: to retain the scents used in fragrances, to soften and strengthen plastic, and to help topical products like lotions and cosmetics stick to and penetrate skin’.
A study published last year revealed that children using more personal care items such as sunscreen, lotion, soaps, and haircare products had higher levels of toxic phthalates in their bodies, as reported by The Guardian.
Increased exposure to these chemicals has been linked to modified hormone production, reproductive, immune system, and metabolic disorders. They are also considered developmental toxicants that can affect children’s behavior and learning ability.
A potential remedy? Opting for phthalate-free products. According to Women’s Health, a child-friendly and non-toxic sunscreen option is Think’s Kids Mineral Sunscreen.
Additionally, dermatologists interviewed by Vogue suggested Colorscience’s Total Protection Flex SPF 50 as a phthalate-free alternative.