New Studies Raise Concerns of Autism-Pollution Links

A new study by the Harvard School of Public Health has given the most definite indications thus far that autism may be caused by exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, although the findings remain inconclusive.

The study looked at 1,767 children (245 with autism and 1,522 without) and by analysing the likelihood of exposure to pollutant elements during pregnancy, based on the mother’s home address during that time, were able to extrapolate that signs of high level pollution inhalation were more common in the autistic children.

The scientists behind the study blame fine particulate matter – composed mostly of carbon, mineral dust and other elements, but invisible to the naked eye – for causing damage to the body after entering the bloodstream via inhalation.

A Pattern Emerges

Though the study cannot yet be said to be conclusive proof of the link (due to the possibility of other factors playing a part), it is undeniable that a pattern pointing to air pollution as a cause is emerging. This is the fifth study which has come to the same conclusion regarding the dangers of air pollution and as such, cannot be ignored, according to the director of the environmental research group at London’s King’s College.

“It is biologically plausible; the placenta is there to ensure the foetus has optimal supply of nutrients, but if chemicals are entering the mother's body then the foetus will have access to those too,” he said, speaking to the BBC. “Women should be made aware of the potential links so they don't get excessive exposure.”

A Danger in its Own Right

Of course, excessive exposure to air pollution is harmful to anyone, not just pregnant women. As well as being a contributing factor to respiratory ailments such as asthma, a lack of access to clean air is also the biggest environmental premature killer worldwide, claiming over seven million lives annually. As such, it is imperative that we do our utmost to make sure the air that we, our loved ones and our peers are breathing is as safe and clean as possible.

It might come as a shock, then, to learn that the EU are proposing plans to do exactly the opposite. The European governing body had planned to do away with the Clean Air Directive – a set of guidelines and regulations with the specific aim of driving pollution down to an acceptable level – until it received a predictable backlash from environmentalists, politicians and humans of the Earth.

Instead, backtracking somewhat, they have proposed to merge the directive with the climate and energy targets posited for 2030. Doubters are concerned that such an action will reduce the power and scope of the directive, since it will become a supplement rather than a stand-alone entity. To learn more about these changes, see this article: Everything You Need to Know about the Changes to the Clean Air Directive.

Regardless of whether these new studies linking autism to pollution are proved to be correct or misguided, one thing is for sure: we need clean air. Any steps to counteract that may well benefit the European Union economically – but will almost certainly bankrupt it environmentally.