US research links autism to pollution levels
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Pregnant women who were exposed to high levels of air pollution were twice as likely to have a child with autism as women who lived in low pollution areas, a US study shows.
By Jenny Johnson
Our findings raise concerns, said lead author Andrea Roberts, a research associate in the Harvard School of Public Health department of social and behavioural sciences.
Depending on the pollutant, 20% to 60% of the women in our study lived in areas where risk of autism was elevated, she said.
The data came from a survey of 116,430 nurses that began in 1989.
Researchers isolated 325 women who had a child with autism and 22,000 women who had a child without the disorder.
To estimate exposure to pollutants while pregnant, they used air pollution data from the Environmental Protection Agency, and adjusted for factors like income, education, and smoking in pregnancy.
The analysis found that women who lived in areas with the highest levels of diesel particulates or mercury in the air were twice as likely to have a child with autism as those who lived in the areas with the lowest levels.
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US research links autism to pollution levels