Autism Rates Tied to Living Near Freeways

A new study recently published shows a possible link to woman who live by freeways during pregnancy and the possibility that their child may develop autism. It is thought that the air pollution, especially within 1000 feet of the highway affects fetal development, especially in the third trimester when there is rapid development in the fetal brain.

Heather E. Volk, PhD, MPH, a researcher at the University of Southern California and her team has seemed to find a link between higher rates of autism and woman who live within 1000 feet of the center line of a freeway. There study showed that children born to woman who live within this 1000 foot mark were 86% more likely to have autism than children born to woman who lived further from freeways. Since approximately 11% of the U.S. population lives within 100 meters of a four lane highway this study, even though a causal link, can have broad public health implications.

Air pollution has been linked to a number of public health problems. Exposure to environmental pollution has long been suspected in a number of developmental problems during fetal development. Pollutants in the air around freeway areas are particularly heavy. But so is noise. At the moment, it is not clear which factor, or maybe both, is the key to triggering autism. Subsequent studies will measure and analyze the actual pollutants found in the air near freeways possibly shedding light on the growing incidents of autism.

An ongoing study by the group National Children's Study is investigating the environmental link to not only autism but also other major health problems such as low birth weight, asthma, ADHD and premature birth. If you have an interest in participating or in the findings of ongoing studies, follow the link below this article.

National Children's Study

Environmental Health Perspectives

National Institute of Health

University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine