There are still many unknowns about autism and research is still underway to better understand this disorder that affects more and more children. What about genetic? How important is the environmental? A new study has found a relationship between exposure to contamination at the end of pregnancy and an increased risk of autism..
It is not the first time that a study finds a link between air pollution and an increased risk of autism, but for the first time it is suggested that the risk is doubled if the mother is exposed to high levels of contamination of fine particles in the third trimester of pregnancy
The report has been prepared by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the "Environmental Health Perspectives" magazine. The conclusion reached is that, the greater the exposure to fine particles emitted by fires, vehicles and industrial chimneys, the greater the risk of children developing autism.
The large increase in autism diagnoses has led experts to look for causes, beyond the obvious genetic component, in other environmental components. This work was based on the Nurses Health Study II, which includes children of more than 116,000 women.
AdvertisingSpecifically, they compared the prenatal histories of 245 children with autism spectrum disorder with those of 1,522 children with normal development, all born between 1990 and 2002.
Observing data on the place of residence of the mothers During pregnancy and the levels of particle contamination to which they were exposed, it was found that there was no association between autism and contamination if it had been suffered before or at the beginning of pregnancy, even after the birth of the child.
But it was appreciated that high levels of exposure during the third quarter doubled the risk of autism. This could happen because tiny particles coated with multiple contaminants penetrate the cells and can affect the brain's development of the fetus.
It is clear that "bad fumes" do not benefit anyone but especially during pregnancy do not agree at all. Research on this disorder is continuing, but it has been shown that exposure to contamination during the third trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of the child suffering from autism.
