The link between pregnancy, air pollution, and autism

Pregnancy is a very intricate stage in a woman’s life. Every food or drink the pregnant woman takes, for instance, must be checked first with the ob-gyn to ensure if it’s safe for the unborn child.

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It is this intricacy that continuously inspires researchers to further study the effects of nature to pregnant women and their babies. Such is the case with the scholars at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, who strived to uncover if expectant mothers’ exposure to pollutants really increase their children’s risks of developing autism.

After studying more than 116,000 women then focusing on the 325 whose children developed symptoms of autism, the researchers found that the presence of pollutants such as diesel particulates, lead, manganese, mercury, and methylene chloride can really endanger one’s pregnancy.

The researchers deduced that the women who lived in areas with high levels of diesel or mercury air pollution were two times more likely to have autistic children compared to those living in places with low levels of the same pollutants.

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Furthermore, female residents in locations with the highest levels—as of the areas researched—of other pollutants like lead, manganese, methylene chloride, and other combined metals, were 50 percent more likely to give birth to children with autism compared to those living in areas with the least exposure.

While it still needs additional examination, the study can be considered as a turning point, given that it is the first national research focused on uncovering the possible link between pollution, pregnancy, and autism.  

For more information about the study, read this article. Meanwhile, for further discussions on pregnancy and women’s health, visit this Cristian Andronic Facebook page.