Pollution and Autism

Research led by the Harvard School of Public Health has found that the risk of autism is doubled when women are exposed to high levels of air pollution during pregnancy. 116,000 participants across all 50 US states were analysed to find that autism rates increased alongside the levels of exposure to pollution. Women are at their most susceptible during the third trimester, however pollution levels before conception and after birth were found to be irrelevant. Moving forward the researchers will be striving to understand exactly how pollution causes this effect on the unborn brain.