WASHINGTON,
A
California study out Monday found that pregnant women who lived near
farms where pesticides are applied had a two-thirds higher risk of
having children with autism.
The findings in the
journal Environmental Health Perspectives examine the association
between living near commercial pesticide applications and having
offspring with autism, but do not show cause-and-effect.
Autism
is a neurodevelopmental disorder that ranges in severity and has been
on the rise in recent years. Health authorities say it now affects as
many as one in 68 children in the United States.
The
latest research was based on data about commercial pesticide
applications in California, combined with residential addresses of about
1,000 participants in a study of families with an autistic child.
HIGH RISK
"We
mapped where our study participants' lived during pregnancy and around
the time of birth," said principal investigator Irva Hertz-Picciotto,
vice chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at University of
California, Davis.
California law requires detailed records on what kinds of pesticides are applied, where and when and how much.
"What
we saw were several classes of pesticides more commonly applied near
residences of mothers whose children developed autism or had delayed
cognitive or other skills."
About one-third of study
participants lived within 1.25 to 1.75 kilometers (about a mile) from a
site where commercial pesticides were applied.
Researchers
found risks of autism were highest when the chemicals were applied
during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
The study authors said the developing fetal brain may be particularly vulnerable to pesticides.
"This
study validates the results of earlier research that has reported
associations between having a child with autism and prenatal exposure to
agricultural chemicals in California," said lead study author Janie
Shelton, a UC Davis graduate student.
"While we still
must investigate whether certain sub-groups are more vulnerable to
exposures to these compounds than others, the message is very clear:
Women who are pregnant should take special care to avoid contact with
agricultural chemicals whenever possible."
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