Trump's health secretary RFK who said autism is 'curable' now claims 'environmental toxins' could be causing it

United States Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has claimed that 'enviromental toxins' could be driving a 'tsunami' of autism across the US. Kennedy said he would commission a series of studies into whether mold, pesticides, food chemicals or medicines that are contributing to the development of autism.

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He also suggested that 'ultrasound scans' can be causing autism in America, adding that ultrasound scans became popular in 1980s, the same time when autism started spiking. RFK Jr went on to suggest industries were profiting off of environmental toxins that are driving more autism diagnoses.

In a press conference, RFK Jr asserted that autism is "curable" and announced his intention to identify the cause behind the rising number of cases by September. Scientists and advocates for people with autism have criticized Kennedy's position. “This is a preventable disease. We know it’s environmental exposure — it has to be...Genes don’t cause epidemics...You need an environmental toxin,” he said.

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“Autism destroys families," Kennedy said. “More importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this.” Kennedy Jr has been a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement for years.

This comes after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report suggested the number of US children with autism rose to one in 31 in 2022, up from one in 36 in 2020 and one in 56 in 2016. 'Doctors and therapists in the past weren't stupid. They weren't missing all these cases,' RFK Jr told the press.

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(With inputs from agencies)