Top five chemicals that can damage your brain

Top five chemicals that can damage your brain.

The list of chemicals that damage the brain has doubled in size over the past 7 years.

These chemicals are found in the food we eat, the water we drink, and in the air we breathe.

What makes this even scarier is that the most vulnerable to these chemicals are fetuses and children.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 chemicals that can cause serious damage to your brain.

Fluoride

Fluoride is responsible for lowering IQ and causing dementia in children.

A meta-analysis of 27 studies found that exposure to high amounts of fluoride in drinking water was associated with an average of a seven-point decline among children’s IQ scores.

Metals such as lead and mercury wreak havoc on your brain.

Lead interferes with important neurotransmitters in the brain causing brain and nervous system damage.

Because of this, children exposed to lead have decreased intelligence, behavioural difficulties, and experience learning problems.

No level of lead exposure is considered safe.

Mercury

Mercury on the other hand is okay in small amounts, but too much of it can disrupt brain development by blocking enzymes that regulate brain functions.

It also stops cells from dividing, meaning there are fewer neurons and support cells produced in the brain.

Mercury is found in most seafood, but you shouldn’t be too worried.

Research shows consuming fish in most people does not cause a healthy concern, thought high levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children can harm developing nervous systems, reducing their ability to think and learn.

 Organophosphate pesticides

Organophosphate pesticides cause structural abnormalities in the brain.

They are also responsible for some neurodevelopmental problems that persist up to age 7.

These chemicals are often used in agriculture, on golf courses, and for mosquito control.

While these pesticides are banned in many parts of the world, they are still being used in many lower-income countries.

Organophosphate pesticides have recently been linked to Alzheimer’s disease as  well.

High levels of prenatal exposures to the chlorpyrifos pesticide cause issues with memory and intelligence.

In adults, high levels overstimulate the nervous system, causing nausea, dizziness and confusion.

Tetrachloroethylene is widely used in dry-cleaning and in some consumer products, such as paint and spot removers.

Early childhood exposure to the solvent through drinking water is associated with an increased risk of developing neurological and psychiatric problems.

Phthalates 

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in hundreds of products from cosmetics, perfume, and shampoos to food containers and plastic wraps.

Phthalates can travel across the placenta to the unborn child as well as pass into breast milk.

In one study, rats exposed to phthalates in the womb and during lactation had fewer neurons and synapses than those that were not exposed.

These chemicals can also disrupt normal hormone signaling, and the developing brain is susceptible to these hormone disruptions.

Prenatal phthalate  

Prenatal phthalate exposure may negatively affect children’s behavior, their ability to regulate their own actions, and the incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Because our brains, and especially the brains of our children, are so susceptible to these chemicals, it is imperative that we pay close attention to what we are using to create the goods we use on daily basis.