Toxin Exposure Linked To Autism In New Study
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects the normal development of the brain when it comes to communication and social skills of an individual.
The symptoms or signs of autism usually surface in the first three years of a child’s life and so far, no definite cause of this disorder has been determined, however a new study may be leading us in the right direction. Autism has been said to be linked to numerous factors including vaccines and genetics, amongst others, but more recently, it has been linked to toxin exposure. The University of Chicago conducted a study that showed intellectual disabilities, as well as autism, during fetal development, being linked to environmental toxins. According to the study, fetal development can be affected by various small molecules, such as pesticides, plastics, and medicines, to name a few, during specific times of a pregnancy.
Scientists believe that the exposure to toxins during crucial developmental phases of a fetus, is linked to congenital reproduction system malformations in males. It was shown that male fetuses are more sensitive to toxins making males more prone to develop autism or other developmental disabilities. One in forty boys has autism where only one in one hundred eighty nine girls has this developmental disorder.
There have been other studies that have shown toxin exposure being linked to autism. These studies have shown evidence of the links between the two and have concluded that more research should in fact be done by scientists to prove whether or not the toxins in our environment are causing theses birth defects for these children. Autism rates in the United States are rapidly rising. In 1981, there was one in ten thousand children with autism and now in the year 2014, there is one in sixty eight. If the research is done, we can determine what exactly is causing these birth defects and can start working towards prevention.
