Losing our minds : how environmental pollution impairs human intelligence and mental health / Barbara Demeneix.

"The exponential increases in neurodevelopmental disorders implicate environmental factors as well as genetic causes. Flame-retardants, pesticides, plasticizers, and other every-day products contain chemicals shown to affect thyroid hormone signaling, which, if disrupted, can result in significant impairment in IQ. Across entire populations, such effects spell large-scale social and economic consequences. Barbara Demeneix suggests what can and must be done to halt and reverse this disturbing trend"-- Provided by publisher.

"The global prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders is accelerating. Numbers of children affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States have reached 1 in 88 -- 1 in 56 among boys -- and even more children have developed attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). The burden of these disorders to individuals and society overall is enormous; ASD alone costs the United States a staggering $130 billion, with ADHD costs reaching similar heights. Genetic causes of these neurodevelopmental disorders cannot account for such radically increased rates of incidence. The causes must also implicate environmental chemicals, many of which have been shown to disrupt normal thyroid function. In this book, Barbara Demeneix makes the case that thyroid hormone signaling bridges the environment and gene programs needed for brain development--and that environmental chemicals that disrupt normal thyroid function pose significant risks to the inherited intelligence and mental health of future generations. The first chapter provides an historical overview of documented cases in which environmental pollution has caused IQ loss across populations. The following chapters explain the physiology of thyroid hormone action, the importance of iodine and selenium for thyroid hormone signaling and brain development, and why thyroid hormone is such a sensitive target for environmental pollution. The final chapters discuss the role of gene-environment interactions in neurodevelopmental disorders and address what can and must be done by individuals, associations, and decision-makers to staunch these epidemics"-- Provided by publisher.

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, [2014]

xxiii, 284 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Machine generated contents note: -- Contents -- 1. Chemical Pollution and IQ Loss in Children: Learning from the Past -- 2. Thyroid Hormone, Iodine, Selenium, and Mercury -- 3. Thyroid Hormone and Brain Development: Bridging Environment to Gene Expression -- 4. Thyroid Hormone Signalling as a Target of Multiple Pollutants -- 5. Examples of Chemical Pollution Targeting Thyroid Hormone Action -- 6. Mixtures and Low Doses: The Complexity of Risk Assessment -- 7. Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Congenital Hypothyroidism: The Case for Gene x Environment Interactions -- 8. What Can Be Done by Individuals, Associations and Governments: Time to End the Pied Piper Scenario.

Includes bibliographical references and index.