RFK Jr. Expected to Link Tylenol Use During Pregnancy to Autism - WSJ

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to release a report on autism this month. According to The Wall Street Journal (Center bias), the report will announce a possible link between autism and over-the-counter pain medication. 

The Details: The Journal wrote the report "is likely to suggest as among the potential causes of autism low levels of folate, an important vitamin, and Tylenol taken during pregnancy, people familiar with the matter said." Tylenol is a widely used pain reliever that contains acetaminophen. Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, shares declined 11% following the report on Friday afternoon. 

For Context: Research from Mount Sinai and Harvard's School of Public Health released in August found the strongest evidence yet that acetaminophen could be linked to autism and ADHD and advised expectant mothers to use it sparingly. "More than two dozen studies around the world have linked a pregnant person's frequent use of acetaminophen to autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in their child. But several studies have also found competing evidence. A 2024 study in Sweden of about 2 million children, over 180,000 of whom were exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy, found no associations between the pain medication and children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability." USA Today (Lean Left) said. Around 3.2% of eight-year-olds in the US were affected by autism in 2022.

How The Media Covered It: The New York Times (Lean Left) said, "the researchers who conducted the review cautioned that their conclusion did not mean acetaminophen caused autism, which mainstream scientists overwhelmingly agree is a result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors." adding that conservatives are focusing on an "unproven link."

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