New Study Finds a Stronger Link Between Autism and the Environment
I have twins under the age of two. Needless to say, the California Autism Twins Study released online last week piqued my interest. My husband and I are aware that our “advanced maternal/paternal age” (i.e. we’re old) might heighten our risk of having autistic children, but we’ve always been suspect of influences outside the genetic pool. Perhaps this skepticism is an occupational hazard—understanding the ill effects of poor air-quality on health—or simply a positive outlook about planting roots at the same age many women choose to dye graying ones.
The California study, the largest of its kind, underscored the likelihood that environmental factors increase risk for autism. These findings were based on a comparison of identical twins (one split egg) to fraternal twins (two different eggs; essentially siblings born at the same time) in which at least one of the twins is diagnosed with autism—twins being ideal, as they offer a built-in genetic control group. Number crunching revealed that a shared environment proved to be the underlying factor in 58% of the cases with a genetic link being the culprit in only 38% of the cases—a far cry from the 90% suggested by previous findings. However, this isn’t the first time the environment has been tied to this developmental disorder. The CHARGE Study released in December of 2010 revealed a connection between the proximity of one’s residence to a freeway during pregnancy and autism. Another study found a link between the disease and prenatal proximity to mercury-emitting coal-burning power plants; yet another saw an increase in incidents when the expectant mother lived in an area with high levels of pesticides.
Some people claim that we’re just over-diagnosing an age-old problem, but many experts beg to differ, saying that we would then be realizing autism in more adults as well, which we’re not. A vaccine link also dominated headlines for a long time, leading to the FDA’s removal of Thimerosal from vaccines in 2001. Yet autism rates continue to rise and more studies seem to be disproving this connection. However, a press release by the National Autism Association made me aware that many vaccine injury cases are settled quietly, so the jury is still out, quite literally. Despite some question over the credibility of certain studies pointing the finger at vitamin D deficiency, many scientists and obstetricians alike are giving credence to the idea that pregnant women could benefit from a little sunshine in a bottle and potentially cut autism off at the pass.
Being a bit of a medical-study junkie and as a result a self-proclaimed hypochondriac, I was diligent during my pregnancy; religiously taking prenatal vitamins, vitamin D, omega 3’s and avoiding pesticides like they were Agent Orange. Yet we, like most parents, are still concerned about what exposures might affect the health of our children, thus we try to avoid any potential hazards. This includes improving the air quality in our home—immediately retrofitting our Rumsford fireplace with an Eco Firebox, of course—and trying our best to feed our kids organic food and huge doses of love. Ultimately, we don’t know if these efforts will mitigate the risk of autism or not, but my “advanced maternal” wisdom tells me that there’s no hurt in trying.
