More Toxic Chemicals Damaging Children's Brains, New Study Warns

She also welcomed the paper's recommendation of a new agency -- much like the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer -- that could coordinate research and grade the evidence for a chemical's propensity to wreak havoc on the developing brain.

Some progress has already been made, including the newly adopted Minamata Convention on Mercury, which addresses human activities contributing to widespread mercury pollution and was inspired by the tragedy in Sakamoto's village. But, as Grandjean noted, even chemicals long-banned in the U.S., such as chlorpyrifos, are still turning up inside American homes or being exported to developing countries.

"This is like climate change," he said. "We just can’t afford to do this experiment. Once we finally get enough evidence, it's too late."
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