In The Politics of Autism, I discuss various ideas about what causes the condition.
If you listen to Sirius XM, you may have heard radio ads about a class action lawsuit alleging that acetaminophen causes it.
But there is a very long and growing list of other correlates, risk factors, and possible causes that have been the subject of serious studies.
A federal judicial panel has created a new mass tort litigation for claims accusing Costco Wholesale Corp, Walmart Inc and other major retailers of failing to warn that using acetaminophen, a popular pain and fever-reduction medication, during pregnancy can cause autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in St. Louis on Wednesday consolidated 18 lawsuits for pretrial proceedings before U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan. The panel sent an additional 48 cases to the newly created multidistrict litigation on Thursday, saying the same scientific and legal questions underlie all of the cases.
The lawsuits target retailers that sell the over-the-counter drug, also sold by Johnson & Johnson under the brand name Tylenol.
They also name CVS Pharmacy Inc, Rite Aid Corp, Safeway Inc, Target Corp and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc as defendants, but not manufacturers of the drug.
