The air pollution women breathe during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of developing autism, according to a new study.
A review of the latest literature found that infants with a genetic predisposition to autism who were exposed to four common air pollutants were more likely to develop autism.
It is believed that these pollutants can enter the bloodstream when inhaled during infancy or in the womb. There, they can bypass the brain’s protective layers, cause inflammation and change the way nerves function and develop.
Autism rates have been rising around the world over the past few decades. A recent analysis showed that the proportion of children and youth in the United States has nearly tripled, with approximately 3 in 100 children having autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Dr. Haitham Amal, head of the Laboratory of Neuroscience, Cell Signaling and Translational Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said he is trying to understand what is contributing to the rise in the disease.
His lab has primarily focused on nitric oxide (NO), a gas released when car fuel is burned.
Dr. Amal said, “In my lab, we found that NO plays a major role in ASD.”
That’s because the American Lung Association reports that 39 percent of Americans live in areas with severe air pollution that includes some of the chemicals studied in the new paper.
Use the map below to see how your city’s air stacks up.
Dr. Amal (center) and a team of researchers in his laboratory in Jerusalem. Research team focuses on nitric oxide and its role in the brain
Cities with the worst air pollution included Phoenix, Arizona, San Jose, California, and Eugene, Oregon. Organizations like the EPA track and report these polluting chemicals so you can understand your risks.
In a new study, Published in a magazine brain medicineDr. Amal’s team reviewed studies in children with autism, studies using human cells, and studies using mice.
They studied four different components of air pollution: particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and ozone.
Particulate matter is fine dust, liquid, or smoke produced by construction sites, power plants, and automobiles.
This is between 7 and 30 times the diameter of a human hair.
Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas or liquid that is produced when fossil fuels are burned and metals such as aluminum are smelted, according to the state of Wisconsin. Department of Health Services.
Ozone is a colorless, odorless gas produced by chemical factories, oil-based paints, and printing plants. EPA.
Researchers found that people with a genetic predisposition to autism and who were exposed to air pollution early in life were more likely to develop autism than those who had less air pollution.
Although the authors did not disclose the numbers, Old research from Harvard University They found that exposure to air pollution, such as particulate matter, can increase the risk of ASD by up to 64 percent.
Doctors are not sure what causes the condition, but about 15% of autism cases are linked to certain genetic mutations. If someone in your immediate family has autism, others are more likely to develop it as well.
It’s not clear why they’re related, but there are a few theories.
First, if someone breathes in one of these pollutants, it can cause inflammation in the nerves, which can damage them over time and cause them to malfunction.
Amal said humans are most susceptible to these effects during in-utero development and early childhood, when the brain is still forming.
Studies have shown that these tiny pollutant particles can even enter the fetal brain directly.
The American Lung Association ranks the cities with the worst air quality in the United States, affecting approximately 131 million Americans.
Long-term changes in brain function may cause some of the behavioral symptoms associated with autism, he said.
According to the NIH, ASD is a developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave.
Ingesting air pollution may also increase the incidence of autism because it interferes with the production of some chemicals that govern the brain, such as dopamine and norepinephrine.
These chemicals are very important in the decision-making process and brain development in general.
Whatever the cause, Dr. Amal said he is proud of his research team for being one of the first to link these air pollutants to the autism spectrum.
When asked what his greatest accomplishment was, Dr. Amal said, “Discovering that nitric oxide plays an important role in autism.”
