Acetaminophen, the primary ingredient found in popular over-the-counter medicines, has recently drawn public attention due to an inaccurate link to autism and concerns around consuming it when pregnant.1 This is an example of scientific misinformation, a misunderstanding of research, and further exacerbating the distrust of public health. If you’re interested in learning more about distrust in public health, read our piece here
If you’re interested in learning more about distrust in public health, read our piece here.
How does this impact campus health?
The spread of misinformation can have serious consequences. A 2024 study from Pew Research Center found that 80% of American 13 to 18-year-olds see conspiracy theories on social media at least once a week, and the majority believe at least one of them.2 Psychologists have found that online health misinformation can cause significant harm to young adults, underscoring how vital it is to address false claims on your campus.3
The first step in combating misinformation is to seek out reliable health information and share it within your community. So, let’s unpack the truth about the safety of acetaminophen, and what led to some false claims.
What does science say?
It’s true that there are a handful of publications that claim taking acetaminophen during pregnancy is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, specific birth defects, and imbalanced hormonal development, which fueled the administration’s stance.4 However, a substantial review of these studies found that the researchers’ methodologies were flawed, disproving their results.5
To uncover the truth, Dr. Brian Lee, a professor of epidemiology at Drexel University, used a public dataset from Sweden’s healthcare system of almost 2.5 million children, their parents, and their medical history.6 Lee and his team found that autism has no association with whether or not the parent took acetaminophen during pregnancy, in line with a significant amount of other scientific papers. 6 What led previous researchers to conclude that acetaminophen and pregnancy were linked was a failure to control confounding factors, or outside variables that can influence the relationship between an exposure and outcome.7
The science shows that when you control for extraneous variables for the pregnant parent — age, existing health conditions, fevers — there is no link between acetaminophen and autism. There is a link, however, between the reasons one would take acetaminophen and autism (e.g., age, existing health conditions, and fevers).6 This is core to the misunderstanding that was amplified by recent discourse.
The impact of the statement
Misinformation is a major threat to society and public health. In particular, health misinformation has a range of adverse outcomes, from influencing health decisions to eroding public trust in authoritative health institutions. By distrusting leading public health experts and organizations, individuals are finding false information in unreliable resources, and making health decisions based on untrue claims, which can lead to a decline in population health outcomes.8
What can we do?
While misinformation is not a new phenomenon, it poses a major threat worldwide.9 How can we ensure that misinformation is under control on our campuses?
Inspired by the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendations,10 we suggest five steps to control misinformation on your campus.
- Survey: First, it’s crucial to understand what pieces of misinformation are spreading at your institution. Encourage open dialogues with students and staff to gauge the status of misinformation on campus, survey the online atmosphere, and prioritize understanding how your campus is exposed.
- Address: After understanding the role misinformation is playing on your campus, it’s time to address it. Make it known that the administration is aware of what’s spreading on campus, and correct misinformation through public channels before it spreads further.
- Fortify: Next, start equipping the community tools to identify misinformation. Engage with your community on ways to beat misinformation, such as partnering with community groups to share accurate health information, increasing resources and technical assistance to state and local public health agencies, and using school platforms to share accurate health information. Education and engagement are key to building a well-informed campus.
- Evaluate: Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and policies to prevent and address health misinformation. Establish the necessary success metrics for these efforts, regularly assess how well your strategies work to combat misinformation, and adapt as needed.
- Refine: Lastly, enhance your efforts by improving how your institution monitors and responds to health-related concerns and misinformation. Work toward building long-term resilience by expanding educational initiatives and creating systems that prepare your campus to respond quickly and effectively to future threats.
References
1. Neergaard, L. (23 Sept 2025). What we know about autism’s causes and any potential link to Tylenol. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/autism-trump-kennedy-tylenol-acetaminophen-7ebaf91e80b93f605899cefd66ac0eb2
2. Faverio, M., Sidoti, O. (12 Dec 2024). Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/
3. Abrams, Z. (6 Nov 2024). Addressing misinformation about mental health with patients. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-mental-health
4. Prada, D., Ritz, B., Bauer, A. Z., & Baccarelli, A. A. (2025). Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology. Environmental Health: a global access science source, 24(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0
5. Damkier, P., Cleary, B., Weber-Schoendorfer, C. et al. Handle with care — interpretation, synthesis and dissemination of data on paracetamol in pregnancy. Nat Rev Endocrinol 18, 191 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-021-00605-y
6. Ahlqvist, V.H., Sjöqvist, H., Dalman, C., et al. Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability. JAMA. 2024;331(14):1205–1214. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.3172
7. Kougias, D.G., Atillasoy, E., Southall, M.D., et al. (2025). A quantitative weight-of-evidence review of preclinical studies examining the potential developmental neurotoxicity of acetaminophen. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 55(2), 124-178. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2024.2442344
8. Disinformation and public health. (6 Feb 2024). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/disinformation-and-public-health
9. Poushter, J., Fagan, M., Smerkovich, M., Prozorovsky, A. (19 Aug 2025). False information online as a threat. International Opinion on Global Threats. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/2025/08/19/false-information-online-as-a-threat/
10. Confronting Health Misinformation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Healthy Information Environment. (2021). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/health-misinformation/index.html
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