Air Pollution May Increase Autism Risk in Unborn Children

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – Exposure to four common air pollutants during pregnancy or early childhood may increase the risk of autism, especially in children with a genetic predisposition, according to scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The study, published in the journal Brain Medicine, focused on four key air pollutants – particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and ozone.

The research comes as a recent analysis in the US showed that three in every hundred children suffer from autism spectrum disorder.

Particulate matter is microscopic particles of dust, liquid, or smoke; Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas or liquid and is produced during the burning of fossil fuels and the smelting of metals.

Nitric oxide is a gas released from car exhaust fumes, and ozone is produced in chemical plants, oil painting and printing houses.

Researchers haven’t determined exactly how air pollutants cause autism. But they suggest that when pregnant women breathe in these pollutants, it causes inflammation in the nerves, eventually leading to brain dysfunction.

Previously, researchers from Harvard University suggested that exposure to air pollutants could increase the risk of autism by up to 64 percent.

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