Questions posted in the Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Subject: Re: Environmental teratogenesis and brain injuries
Forum: The Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum
Topic Area: Speech
Posted by CCF NSG MD /gsh on September 16, 1998 at 13:14:05:
In Reply to: Environmental teratogenesis and brain injuries posted by Donna on September 09, 1998 at 16:14:30:



I wonder if you might be able to tell me if I'm crazy....

My four year old son, Rockne, was diagnosed with static global encephalopathy after developing infantile spasms at 7 months of age. His IS has been resolved for a very long time; now we are dealing with Cerebral Palsy, gross Developmental Delays, and vision impairment. Rockne now walks with a walker, says 10-15 words, eats independently, and is a happy young man.

I am just one of four mothers exposed to my place of employment (office setting) who gave birth to children with brain injuries over a one year period. One other woman had a miscarriage during this period and still has not been able to carry a baby successfully even though she is no longer working in the building. No other women were pregnant during this period of time, so 4/4 of the babies born to female employees were brain injured.

Here are a few brief details: The first baby boy to be born had metatarsus veres of the feet and speech delays. The second boy (my son) appeared to be normal until age 7 months, then developed IS, developmental delays, CP, etc; an MRI revealed static global encephalopathy. The third boy born appeared to be normal until he, too, developed a speech delay. An MRI done on him also showed static encephalopathy. All these boys are 4 years old now. Yet another woman (who was a consultant to the company for which these women worked) became pregnant soon after the birth of these boys; she spent some time working in the same building during her pregnancy. She delivered an apparently healthy baby boy one year after the other three women. This boy, too, has a speech delay, and possible autism. No other women working for this company were pregnant during the time frame mentioned above. Apparently healthy babies have been born to women of this company before and after the period mentioned.

Is it statistically possible that something within the work environment caused the brain injuries in these four boys? All the mothers mentioned here had normal, apparently healthy pregnancies. Are there any known carcinogens or other environmental factors that could cause such brain injuries in an office work environment? What about radon gas, bug sprays, poor heating or ventilation systems? If so, do you have any suggestions on how would we go about pinpointing the root cause from 4+ years ago?

Obviously, I am very interested in your insight into this matter.

Thank you very much!

Donna Saunders
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Dear Donna,

Anything is possible in these situations. Your best bet at this point may
be to contact the U.S. Department of Health and ask how to proceed. Whether
an investigation at this point will reveal any clues remains to be seen. A
list of known substances accociated with birth defects can be obtained from
one of the standard medical text books or from a medline search for current
articles.

Good luck.


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