They absorb more toxic agents and have not fully formed a protective blood brain barrier. Therefore an exposure that has no measurable effect on an adult can cause a deleterious reaction in children. Children are more susceptible to pollutants than are adults. Furthermore, babies fed infant formula rather than breast milk will absorb more heavy metals, such as manganese than will a breast-fed child or an adult. A calcium-deficient diet in childhood will also trigger increased uptake of lead and manganese.
Recent studies show that trace levels of multiple pesticides cause increased aggression.
It is noteworthy that aggression was triggered with trace combinations of multiple pesticides but not exposure to a single pesticide. Specifi cally trace pesticide mixtures have induced abnormal thy-roid hormone levels. Irritability, aggression and multiple chemical sensitivity are all associated with thyroid hormone levels. More worrisome, at least seven other studies that show violent criminals have elevated levels of lead, cadmium, manganese, mercury and other toxic chemicals in their bodies, compared with prisoners who are not violent. While society hunts for the scapegoats of youth violence, perhaps our time would be better spent testing all of the recent teen slayers for the presence of these toxic pollutants.