In his inaugural press conference, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr attributed the recent surge in autism diagnoses to an epidemic driven by environmental toxins. This contrasts sharply with prevailing views held by autism advocates and health experts, who argue that improved diagnostic tools, changing criteria, and enhanced screening access are behind the rise. Kennedy maintains that genes create vulnerability but are not the primary cause, emphasizing the need for research into environmental factors. His comments come amid a new federal report indicating a rise in autism prevalence, which he aims to address by lifting research taboos.
Kennedy insisted that the rise in autism diagnoses indicates an epidemic caused by environmental toxins, dismissing the consensus of health experts who attribute it to better recognition.
He claimed, "This is a preventable disease; we know it's environmental exposure, it has to be... Genes do not cause epidemics," highlighting his belief in environmental factors.
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