PreventAutism.org
Category 4
Associations in Human Activity
Associations with human activity help us to understand and quantify the impact of our actions. Such associations can involve medical procedures, drug manufacturing, or use of drugs during different times of life.
The lines of evidence related to associations in human activity make up 29.2% of the total evidence.
12
Circumcised individuals have 2 times more infantile autism
Male circumcision, often performed using acetaminophen as a pain reliever, is associated with a 2x increase in early-onset (infantile) autism
13
An unexpectedly high prevalence of autism was found at the same time that acetaminophen products for children were repeatedly manufactured with too much active ingredient
An unexpectedly high prevalence of autism was identified in South Korea, where acetaminophen-containing products for children were repeatedly found to contain amounts of drug exceeding the package label
14
Orthodox Jews, who do not traditionally use acetaminophen, have a substantially lower prevalence of autism
Ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs in Israel have reported prevalence of autism less than half of that of other Israelis. The use of alcohol, not acetaminophen, during traditional circumcision practices could account in part for their lower rates of autism
15
Administration of acetaminophen along with a vaccine is connected to autism
Acetaminophen given alongside vaccine administration but not vaccination alone is associated with autism
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Up to 50% of parents who have a child with autism believe that vaccines were involved in the induction of their child's autism
Many parents believe that their children’s autism was induced by a vaccine based on their own observations. Acetaminophen is frequently used with vaccinations, although vaccinations alone do not cause autism
17
Autism is dramatically lower in very low-income countries with chronic shortages of common medications
Chronic and severe shortages of medications, including acetaminophen, in very low-income countries are associated with much less autism compared to other mental health disorders such as Down syndrome
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In Denmark, acetaminophen is about twice as popular and similarly autism is about twice as prevalent as in Finland
From 2006-2010, the sales of acetaminophen in Denmark were more than two times greater than in Finland, and they had approximately 70% more autism than Finland
*Correlation doesn’t necessarily prove causation, but correlation is necessary for causation to exist. Multiple correlations with numerous other lines of evidence can be conclusive.