White House Linking Autism to Tylenol Causing Headaches

Last Monday President Trump held a news conference to advise pregnant woman to exercise extreme caution when taking… Tylenol. Yes, that over-the-counter pain reliever, also known by its generic name acetaminophen. The Leader of the Free World apparently had nothing better to do on a Monday than talk about an OTC pain reliever that was first synthesized in 1878 by a French scientist Henri Leroux. Acetaminophen’s pain-relieving properties were not recognized for another 70 years. Tylenol was officially introduced as a prescription medication in 1955. 

The Trump administration consulted with a Harvard scientist who claims autism is linked to Tylenol despite numerous studies that show otherwise. Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, who is dean of Harvard’s school of public health, was an expert witness in a 2022 class action lawsuit against the owner of Tylenol for which he was paid a $150,000 fee. His testimony was thrown out by a federal judge as sloppy research, saying:

“The discussion in his reports is incomplete, unbalanced and at times misleading,” wrote Manhattan US District Judge Denise Cote. “In general, Dr. Baccarelli downplays those studies that undercut his causation thesis and emphasizes those that align with his thesis.”

Cote further found the expert witnesses “have not served to enlighten but to obfuscate the weakness of the evidence on which they purport to rely and the contradictions in the research.”

Since Dr. Baccarelli earned $150,000 as an expert witness, it makes one wonder if his motivations are self-serving. His advice has jumpstarted a lot of litigation against Tylenol’s owner, which could arguably enrich him as an expert witness in future cases. The Wall Street Journal reports that Kenvue, the owner of the trade name Tylenol, is bracing for a barrage of lawsuits from Trump’s suggested linking of Tylenol to autism. Indeed, the White House remarks caused Kenvue’s stock to fall to a record low.

Tylenol is just about the only medicine that expectant mothers were told was completely safe for pain. Tylenol is not safe for people nursing a hangover, however. Acetaminophen is hard on the liver, as is alcohol. Taking large amounts of alcohol and acetaminophen together can cause severe liver damage. Fun fact: not only does Tylenol relieve physical pain, it also works along the same pathways as emotional pain and anxiety. Feeling bad about a painful breakup, pop a couple Tylenol tablets. Just do not wash them down with alcohol.

Why all the talk about autism? Purportedly, autism rates have increased from 1 in 150 about 25 years ago to 1 in 31 in 2022. Public health experts are keen to find out the cause. What is currently known is that there are some genetic factors that are passed down from parents, but the age of the father at conception is significant. If both parents are over 40 the risk of having an autistic child is 5.75 times higher compared to parents under 30.

Arguably the biggest reason for the huge increase in autism rates is better diagnosis. Fifty years ago, most mild cases of autism were dismissed as just being a little odd or assumed to be unruly behavior in the classroom. Nowadays doctors have a name for it, autism spectrum. In an increasingly complex world adults with autism find it harder to navigate the world than they did, say, 150 years ago. Around 1875 half of the labor force worked on farms. Today it is less than 1%. Walking behind a horse drawn plow could be done by a wide range of people. During times when most workers’ worth was largely dependent on physical labor, being a little socially awkward did not matter. In today’s complex society with work obligations that require delicate social interactions, it is harder for autism spectrum to go unnoticed.