AIR POLLUTION ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF AUTISM

Mumbai Mirror , Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Correspondent :
Exposure to fine particulate air pollution during pregnancy through the first two years of a child's life may be associated with an increased risk of the child developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition that affects one in 68 children, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health investigation. The research appears in Environmental Research.

"Autism spectrum disorders are lifelong conditions for which there is no cure and limited treatment options, so there is an urgent need to identify any risk factors that we could mitigate, such as pollution," said lead author Evelyn Talbott.

Talbott and her colleagues performed a population-based, case-control study of families with and without ASD. They obtained detailed information about where the mothers lived before, during and after pregnancy and, using a model developed by study co-author Jane Clougherty they were able to estimate individual exposure to a type of air pollution called PM2.5.

This type of pollution refers to particles found in the air that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, or 1/30th the average width of a human hair. PM2.5 includes dust, dirt, soot and smoke. Because of its small size, PM2.5 can reach deeply into the lungs and get into the blood stream.

Autism spectrum disorders are a range of conditions characterized by social deficits and communication difficulties that typically become apparent early in childhood. Reported cases of ASD have risen nearly eight-fold in the last two decades.

Based on the child's exposure to concentrations of PM2.5 during the mother's pregnancy and the first two years of life, the team found that children who fell into higher exposure groups were at an approximate 1.5-fold greater risk of ASD after accounting for other factors associated with the child's risk for ASD - such as the mother's age, education and smoking during pregnancy.

 
SOURCE : http://www.mumbaimirror.com/others/sci-tech/Air-pollution-associated-with-increased-risk-of-autism/articleshow/47423322.cms
 


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