Researchers at Harvard University (USA) have just declared that exposure to a high level of pollution during pregnancy doubles the risk of autism in the future baby. Main culprits: the fine and very fine particles that pass the dam of the lungs to find their way into the bloodstream and cause damage in the body.
An increased risk in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy
For their study, the scientists studied a group of 245 children with autism and 1,522 children without the disease. They then studied their estimated exposure to pollution by researching the mother’s place of residence during the pregnancy. They concluded that high levels of pollution, especially during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, are more common in children with autism.
In an interview with the BBC, Professor Frank Kelly, director of the environmental research group at King’s College London, explained: “If this study were the first to reach this conclusion, we would probably pay less attention to it. . But it is all the same the fifth which reaches the same conclusion. This opens the door to possible preventive measures “.
This link is biologically possible, he added. “This is because the placenta is there to provide the fetus with an optimal supply of nutrients. But if chemicals, like fine particles, enter the mother’s body, then the fetus will have access to them as well.”
Six months ago, another American scientific study showed that a exposure to pesticides during pregnancy increased the risk of autism.
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