After Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave a controversial press conference the other day linking Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism in children, the scientific community has hit back.
However, it isn’t just the scientists that contest Trump’s claim that ‘Tylenol is bad’ - there are entire continents of people who are just as bemused as the doctors.
For some people - particularly in Europe - they didn’t even know what Tylenol was.
Tylenol is called something totally different elsewhere in the world
Of course, Tylenol is a brand name; the active ingredient of the product is called acetaminophen.
However, depending on where you live in the world, you might call it something totally different - paracetamol.
Now, for people in Europe - and indeed everywhere else in the world - paracetamol is something you give kids when they are sick in small doses, something you can take when you have a hangover, a cold, or a headache.
It’s not considered dangerous - even according to their own advice - regardless of what this 2017 resurfaced post from Tylenol might seem to state.
So, it has come as a bit of surprise to people outside of the States that the President of America is so worked up over a simple painkiller.
One European commented: “All of this became about a thousand times funnier once I figured out Tylenol is literally just paracetamol.”
A second person was aghast, tweeting: “Tylenol is just paracetamol???”
A third wrote: “Finding out Tylenol is literally just paracetamol... one of the most commonly used painkillers in the UK.
“If it ‘causes autism’ then everyone in Britain must be autistic.”
Luckily, an American was on hand to clear it up for other non-Americans: “For non-USA folks who haven’t clocked how insane this is, Tylenol is a brand name for paracetamol.
“They’re saying paracetamol causes autism.”
So, does paracetamol cause autism?
According to most within the scientific community, paracetamol/Tylenol/acetaminophen is not unsafe for pregnant people to take.
In fact, it is one of the few recommended painkillers that can be taken during pregnancy.
Of course, if you take too much of it it can be bad for you, but that’s the case with most drugs.
Perhaps pointedly, the UK government issued advice two days ago on whether paracetamol is safe during pregnancy.
That advice - headlined ‘THE FACTS’ states: “There is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children.
“A major study conducted in Sweden in 2024, involving 2.4 million children found no evidence that paracetamol causes autism in pregnancy.
“Untreated pain and fever can pose real risks to the unborn baby, so it is crucial to manage these symptoms with the recommended treatment. “Paracetamol continues to be the recommended pain relief option for pregnant women when used as directed.”