Tylenol
The link between Tylenol (acetaminophen) and autism.
Women were often told that taking Tylenol while pregnant would not pose a risk to their unborn child. However, scientific research first published over a decade ago established a link between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and autism. Since then, numerous scientific studies have confirmed that link. Despite this, the manufacturers and sellers of Tylenol and other store-branded acetaminophen have taken no steps to warn parents of these dangers.
We are representing children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) whose mothers took acetaminophen during pregnancy.
Our attorneys Julien Adams and Greg Dovel are part of the leadership team litigating the Multi-District Litigation, pending in New York federal court, known as: In Re: Acetaminophen—ASD-ADHD Products Liability Litigation, 22md3043 (DLC) (S.D.N.Y.). Julien Adams is a member of the Plaintiffs Steering Committee and the Bellwether Committee. Greg Dovel is a member of the Science Committee and the Deposition Committee.
If you have a child with autism or ADHD, and want information or resources about this case, please go to this link.
If you are an attorney who would like to discuss partnering on or referring cases for the Acetaminophen-ASD-ADHD litigation, please contact Julien Adams
The science establishes that acetaminophen is a substantial factor in causing autism and ADHD.
As reported in court filings, over two dozen epidemiological studies have identified an association between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and ASD or ADHD. Sixteen studies investigated whether a dose-response association exists, and they all concluded that increased amounts and duration of exposure to acetaminophen increased the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
For example, a 2020 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found a dose-response relationship, where higher concentrations of acetaminophen in cord blood increased the likelihood that a child would later be diagnosed with ASD or ADHD. Children whose cord blood concentrations of acetaminophen were at the highest levels had a 3.6 times greater risk of being diagnosed with ASD.1
1. Yuelong Ji et al., Association of Cord Plasma Biomarkers of In Utero Acetaminophen Exposure With Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Childhood, 77 JAMA Psychiatry 180 (2020). 
The study authors “found consistent associations between acetaminophen and ADHD and acetaminophen and ASD across strata of potential confounders, including maternal indication, substance use, preterm birth, and child age and sex.” Id. at 188.
As another example, six different European birth cohort studies, examining over 70,000 mother-child pairs, each demonstrated an association between prenatal use of acetaminophen and ASD or ADHD.
In 2021, ninety leading scientists authored a consensus statement published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, declaring that “the combined weight of animal and human scientific evidence is strong enough for pregnant women to be cautioned by health professionals against [acetaminophen’s] indiscriminate use.”
If you have a child with autism or ADHD, and want information or resources about this case, please go to this link.
If you are an attorney who would like to discuss partnering on or referring cases for the Acetaminophen-ASD-ADHD litigation, please contact Julien Adams