WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - According to the scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, exposure to four common air pollutants during pregnancy or early childhood could increase the risk of autism in the child, especially in those with genetic predisposition.
Published in Brain Medicine, the study focused on four key air pollutants - particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and ozone.
The research comes as a recent analysis in the U.S. had shown that three in every hundred children suffered from autism spectrum disorder.
Particulate matter is microscopic pieces of dust, liquid or smoke, whereas sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas or liquid, and is produced when fossil fuels are burned and metals are smelted.
Nitric oxide is a gas released from car exhaust fumes, and ozone is produced from chemical plants, oil based paint and print shops.
The researchers have not exactly determined how air pollutants cause autism. However, they speculate that when pregnant women breathe these pollutants, it causes inflammation in nerves, eventually leading to brain dysfunction.
Previously, researchers from Harvard University suggested that exposure to air pollutants could increase the risk of autism by upto 64 percent.
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