WASHINGTON (Gray News) – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed Thursday in a cabinet meeting that there may be a link between circumcision and autism.

The health secretary stated that it was due to the administration of Tylenol to infants following the procedure.

“There are two studies which show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, it’s highly likely, because they were given Tylenol,” Kennedy is quoted by the New York Post as telling President Donald Trump in Thursday’s meeting.

According to The Associated Press, Kennedy appears to be referring to a study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in 2015, which looked at ritual circumcision and the risk of autism spectrum disorder in boys under 10.

It reportedly found that those who had undergone the procedure, which involves the removal of the foreskin from the penis, were more likely to develop autism than other boys in the study.

Researchers suggested that a potential link might be due to the pain associated with the procedure.

Researchers noted that they had no data on painkillers or anesthetics used, and thus couldn’t address whether Tylenol was linked to autism.

Other researchers pointed out that the Denmark study looked at correlation, not causation. They also point to other studies that found no evidence to support a link between circumcision and autism.

President Trump urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol during a White House news conference last month, saying that there is a potential link between Tylenol usage during pregnancy and autism