Autism risk tied to pollution during pregancy: Study
A new study shows that pregnant women who are exposed to a type of air pollution face a higher risk of having a child with autism.
The study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health team said that women exposed to high levels of particulate matter during pregnancy were more likely to have a child with autism than others.
Environmental experts say fine particulate matter is made up of tiny particles, liquid droplets and small pieces of dust or soil. It is often found in smoke and haze from sources like forest fires, power plants and other industry emissions.
Study author Marc G. Weisskopf, associate professor of environmental and occupational epidemiology in Boston, confirmed that environmental factors largely contribute to the disorder.
“Our data add additional important support to the hypothesis that maternal exposure to air pollution contributes to the risk of autism spectrum disorders,” Weisskopf said.
The study also suggested that pregnant women ”” particularly those in their third trimesters--should minimize their exposure to the air pollution.
Weisskopf and the team aid women exposed in their third trimesters were 1.42 times more likely to have a child with autism than those in their first trimesters.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates air pollution causes 3.7 million deaths each year.
Source: presstv.com
