A Point to Ponder

I was washing dishes the other night and thinking. I do that when I wash dishes. I think. My mind goes places, ponders things, creates, ruminates...

Teflon and autism. Teflon and the variety of new allergies, diseases and other funky shit out there lately. Chemicals in general and autism.

That's where my mind went.

I wondered if the use of Teflon and other chemicals that our bodies have absorbed has contributed to (or caused) the recent exponential increase in autism and autism spectrum disorder diagnoses. I know a lot has to do with the redefining of ASD, diagnostic tools, etc. I get that. I also can't help but think that Teflon and other chemicals have a part in this.

I know that Teflon and other toxic chemicals are found in breastmilk, our blood and tissues, how can this NOT affect developing fetuses, bodies, brains?

There's a lot of debate regarding the dangers of Teflon, that it takes extreme heat to have it begin to release fumes, a temperature much higher than the typical stove, that studies were flawed, etc. It's almost always the industry insiders (chemists, workers, executives) that attempt to debunk the complaints. This alone should arouse suspicion. I can't find many independent researchers who are willing or able to say that Teflon and its associated chemicals cause no harm.

And it's found in our bodies. How the hell can chemicals that accumulate in our bodies be harmless?! Somewhere I read (can't find it now) that funeral directors use roughly half the amount of embalming fluid today than 100 years ago. Our bodies already have enough chemicals in them. That's scary shit.

So, do Teflon and its associated chemicals cause autism? I don't know. I would like to see a study done on these kids/people and see if their body's chemical load is different than ours in quantity and type.

The things I ponder when washing dishes.