By Katherine Tinsley
2:31am PDT, Apr 18, 2025
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"We're going to announce a series of new studies to identify precisely what the environmental toxins are that are causing [autism]," Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a press conference on Wednesday, April 16.
"This has not been done before," he added.
Kennedy views ultrasound scans, mold, pesticides, food chemicals, medicines and air and water contamination as "factors" he's interested in exploring.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously described autism as an "epidemic" and a public health threat, a stance that seems contradictory given that
Elon Musk — another one of
Donald Trump's allies and a person on the spectrum — is one of the most successful businessmen in the world.
"This is catastrophic for our country," Kennedy said. "We know it's from environmental exposure."
"Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resources, our children," he claimed.
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On Wednesday, Kennedy confirmed he wants to "remove the taboo [so] that people will know they can research and follow the science no matter what it says, without any kind of fear that they're going to be censored."
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Robert F. Kennedy later hinted at pollution being a leading factor in the rise in autism diagnoses.
"Clearly there are industries, this is coming from an environmental toxin," he alleged. "And somebody made a profit by putting that environmental toxin into our air, our water, or our medicines, our food — and it's to their benefit."
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In a recent cabinet meeting, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Donald Trump how the Health and Human Services department would approach neurodevelopmental conditions: "We've launched a massive testing and research effort that's going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world," he said. "By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we'll be able to eliminate those exposures."
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The CDC reports that one in every 31 kids under 8-years-old is diagnosed with autism.
In response to the study, Autism Speaks called for "deeper, sustained investment in autism research, not only to understand its causes, but also to support the growing number of people diagnosed today."
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The Autism Society of America later pushed back on Robert F. Kennedy's rhetoric.
The organization stressed that the CDC data "does not signal an 'epidemic' as narratives are claiming — it reflects diagnostic progress, and an urgent need for policy decisions rooted in science and the immediate needs of the Autism community."
