Environmental Toxins Linked to Autism: Study

Researchers have tied rates of autism and intellectual disability per region to how frequently indicators of harmful environmental factors appear.

According to a new study published in PLOS Computational Biology, an one percent increase in general malformations in newborn males -- an indicator of harmful environmental factors -- was directly associated with a 283 percent increase in autism rates and a 94 percent increase in intellectual disability.

Researchers determined this after analyzing medical information and related retails from the insurance claims of nearly 100 million people across the U.S.

Genital malformations in newborn males, such as micro-penis, and undecided testicles, have been conclusively tied to negative environmental factors -- such as heavy air pollution, water contamination, and lax pesticide control -- by previous studies conducted in years past. Using rates of genital malformation as an indicator of the levels of negative environmental factors per region, the researchers were able to compare regional rates of autism and general intellectual disabilities (ID).

Following their analysis, the researchers felt they could conclusively say that increased levels of toxic environmental factors directly contributed to massively increased rates of autism and ID, indicating that prenuptial pollution exposure can severely hamper a child's development in the womb.

It should be noted that because an indicator, and not pollution levels themselves, were associated with autism, the exact negative environmental factor levels to autism/ID birth rates remains unclear.

Still, researcher says that this study should help back the preexisting suspicion that the effects of negative environmental toxins on unborn children are alarmingly strong, warranting an even greater need for pollution and toxin exposure control in all countries.

An open access publication of the study was released by PLOS Computational Biology on March 13.