Ned Barnett of the Raleigh News and Observer was calling researchers to get their takes on Trump's contention that Tylenol (acetaminophen) is linked to autism when he "ran into another condition," he said. "It's called: Fear of commenting about things that could offend the president and lead to a loss of federal research funding."
Interviewing a scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - a leading center for autism research - a scientist told him the university had recently sent out a memo advising the university's experts not to give interviews about federal actions, "given the current political climate."
"If you don't speak up, you feel like you are enabling," the scientist said. "And if you do speak up, you feel threatened."
Despite the university's warning, the scientist went on to describe researchers' reaction to Trump's linking Tylenol with autism, in a personal capacity: "We're dumbfounded. We're very angry. We are just overwhelmed with shock."
"The public service announcement by the president is a disservice to the science that is much more complicated," the scientist added.
European scientists who worked on the largest study ever conducted on the issue also spoke up. "Our study of nearly 2.5 million births in Sweden published in 2024 shows no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy increases a child's risk of autism," they wrote in a story for The Conversation.
Nonetheless, the FDA has begun updating its warning labels - even though Tylenol is the safest medication for fevers during pregnancy. If left untreated, fevers in pregnancy can lead to birth defects and central nervous system abnormalities.
The Swedish study reached its decisive conclusion in part by comparing siblings, which allowed them to control for a number of other variables. It concluded there was "no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy increases the risk of autism or ADHD."