Question

Some toothpastes contain toxic metals like lead and mercury, which are linked to an increased autism risk.

#Autism #ToxicMetals

Answer 1

Misleading/exaggerated. This claim is based on a Daily Mail article citing independent tests by Lead Safe Mama (LSM), a consumer-advocacy group that appears to do its testing with Purity Inc., a lab offering expanded analytical services since 2013. LSM’s findings do seem to align with a meta-analysis of eleven studies on heavy metals in commercial toothpastes, all of which detected at least one toxic metal (including lead and mercury). Those researchers warn that “chronic low-level exposure through daily use could contribute to bioaccumulation and potential adverse health effects (e.g., oxidative stress, carcinogenesis, kidney or neurological damage).” So it appears true that there are low levels of heavy metals in consumer-facing toothpastes–but do they cause autism?

Although the World Health Organization states that “no level of lead exposure is known to be without harmful effects,” evidence directly linking lead exposure to autism remains inconclusive. Some studies do report higher lead burdens in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but a clinical review of ASD and lead poisoning concludes:

"...current scientific evidence does not support this hypothesis [that lead poisoning in a child can cause ASD]. Instead, any association of ASD and lead poisoning is more likely secondary to pica habits, the compulsive chewing and eating of nonfood items, seen commonly in children with ASD. This behavior puts them at high risk for exposure to lead-containing dust and other lead-contaminated objects."

Mercury’s role is similarly unclear. One analysis found no statistically significant difference in overall mercury levels between individuals with ASD and neurotypical controls, even though blood and red-cell mercury concentrations were higher in the ASD group, suggesting a weakened ability to metabolize mercury rather than a direct causal link.

Answer 2

This claim is exaggerated. Brands such as Crest, Sensodyne, Tom's of Maine, Dr. Bronner's, Davids, and Dr. Jen have small amounts of heavy metals like lead and mercury. There is no evidence that indicates that toothpastes with small amounts of metal increases the risk of autism. These metals, in high amounts, have been linked to more severe autism symptoms in some studies. But that does not mean toothpaste causes autism. The studies looked at total exposure from many sources like food, air, and water and not just toothpaste. 

Answer 3

This claim about toothpaste containing toxic metals that are linked to an increased autism risk is exaggerated. Parts of it are true, but the claim that it is directly linked to an increased autism risk depends on the situation. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2809421/: According to JB Adams et al. (2009), there have been studies that found different types of toothpastes that contain heavy metals like lead and mercury. They state that there is only an increased risk of autism with children and toothpaste between the ages of 3-8 years old. Additionally, they found many similarities between the symptoms of children with autism and children poisoned by mercury. 

Although it is technically possible to have an increased chance at having autism through toxic heavy metals, https://jebms.org/full-text/152 sources with the Journal of Experimental and Basic Medical Sciences claim's that Impacting approximately 1% of all children, autism spectrum disorder is linked to toxic heavy metals and other potential environmental hazards. They explain how even though it is possible, it is not very common for everyone to have an increased risk for having autism due to certain toothpastes.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/17/toothpaste-lead-heavy-metals#:~:text=Tom%20Perkins,and%20arsenic%20are%20all%20carcinogens.: The Guardian supports the claim that some toothpastes contain some of the toxic heavy metals  such as lead and mercury and that it only really affects children between the ages of 3-8, or when you are most susceptible to infectious diseases.

Answer 4

The claim that toothpaste contains toxic metals is true as proven by studies, but that it is a direct cause for the risk of autism is an exaggeration. According to an article from FortuneWell, a lab test was conducted with 53 different toothpastes, in which 90% of them tested positive for lead and half for mercury. However when it comes to linking them as a cause of autism, we can argued that autism can be due to genetics, health risk during pregnancy, but not directly cause by toxic metals. If we think about it heavy metals can be found everywhere, which means that if they were the direct cause of autism the rate of children with autism would be much higher. 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/17/toothpaste-lead-heavy-metals

https://fortune.com/well/article/toothpaste-brands-toxic-metals-lead-arsenic-mercury-cadmium/

Answer 5

The first noticeable thing about this claim is that it is being supported by a Daily Mail article, which is notorious for its clickbait material. When finding peer-reviewed research for this claim, like in the Frontiers article, “Heavy metal content of over-the-counter toothpastes—a systematic review of in vitro studies” by Kavery Chengappa, Ashwini Rao, Ramya Shenoy, Mithun Pai, Praveen Jodalli, and Avinash BR, it is clarified that there are heavy metals present in over-the-counter toothpaste. However, instead of finding a link between toxic metals in toothpaste and autism, they explore the idea that “the daily use of toothpastes containing heavy metals can be a threat to the environment since they can bioaccumulate and reach toxic proportions” (Chengappa et al. 2025). This reinforces the fact that high levels of toxic metals are dangerous to both our bodies and the environment, but it is not the toxic metal in toothpaste that is the cause of autism. 

However, that is not to say that autism has no correlation with toxic metals, because J.B. Adams, M. Baral, E. Geis, J. Mitchell, J. Ingram, A. Hensley, I. Zappia, S. Newmark, E. Gehn, R.A. Rubin, K. Mitchell, J. Bradstreet, and J.M. El-Dahr reported in their article, “The Severity of Autism Is Associated with Toxic Metal Body Burden and Red Blood Cell Glutathione Levels,” on the National Library of Medicine (NLM) website, that there is a connection. They explain that “a higher body burden of toxic metals was associated with more severe autistic symptoms” (Adams et al. 2009); although, it is not toothpaste that is causing this. In their research, they discovered that the baby teeth of kids with autism had more exposure to toxic metals. This means that during the stages of fetal and infant development, the child had accumulated a higher rate of mercury. There is also a different possibility to explain why there are heavy metals in baby teeth. Children with autism have more oral medications during their first 12 months of life; therefore, this causes them to “excrete 3.1 times as much mercury” (Adams et al. 2009). Moreover, these professional studies show that low levels of toxic metals in toothpaste will not harm you, nor are they linked to autism.  

Sources: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/dentalmedicine/articles/10.3389/fdmed.2025.1543972/full#h8 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2809421/#sec5 

Answer 6

While there's evidence that toothpaste can contain heavy metals, this statement is misleading because there is no correlation or link between heavy metals and the cause of autism.

The Guardian (Perkins, 2025)

This article discusses a consumer investigation that concluded the presence of heavy metal in toothpaste, notably lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. The article also concludes that these amounts don't exceed federal limits, and most pass stricter state law limits, which confirms that the contamination is a true concern.

CrossMark (Modabbernia, Velthorst, Reichenberg, 2017)

Though a older research paper, the findings of the researchers concludes though environmental factors like maternal smoking, vaccination, reproductive assistive devices, and thimerosal exposure are unlikely to play a role in the development of ASD, the presence of heavy metal does play a numerically larger role.

RMIT Australia (Jeffrey, 2025)

Andrew Whitehouse, a leading Autism researcher in Australia, acknowledges the exposure to prenatal exposure to toxic metal can impact neuro growth, he makes the observation that there is no scientific link between exposure to heavy metals like mercury and autism.

The statement mixes a true finding that toothpastes contain trace toxic metals, with an oversimplified claim that those toothpastes are proven to raise autism risk. The truth is that toothpaste contamination is truthful and worth possible caution, and research shows an association with heavy metals and autism, but no scientific proof showing a direct link between toothpaste and the diagnosis of autism.