Pollutants in the air are known to affect brain development, but the first national study of in utero exposure and autism rates raises new concerns.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) say that early-life exposure to pollution, including diesel particulates, mercury and lead, could contribute to a higher risk of autism disorders.

They came to that conclusion after analyzing data from a nationwide sample of 116,430 nurses participating in the Nurses’ Health Study II, an ongoing survey that began in 1989. Among the volunteers, 325 had children with autism, and most of them lived in areas with higher levels of pollutants than those who didn’t have children affected by the developmental disorder. Last year, a study of over 500 kids found that those with autism were two to three times more likely than other kids to have been exposed to car exhaust, smog and other air pollutants early on. But those studies involved mothers and children in limited geographic areas; in the current study, published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the scientists surveyed pollution exposure and autism rates across the entire U.S.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/18/prenatal-exposure-to-pollution-raises-risk-of-autism-in-kids/#ixzz2WgOaXIuO