A quarterly publication of the Autism Research Institute
Summer, 2019 | Number 3, Volume 33
Exposure to solvents may increase a pregnant woman’s risk for having a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a new study.
Erin McCanlies and colleagues analyzed data from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment (CHARGE) study. The data included personal, health, and job history information for the parents of 537 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and 414 neurotypical children.
Industrial hygienists calculated the intensity and frequency of the parents’ occupational exposure to 16 agents linked to neurological or congenital abnormalities. These included medicines, metals, pesticides, anesthetics, asphalt, brake fluid, plastics and polymers, radiation, cleaners/disinfectants, and solvents (including paints and degreasers as well as other chemicals). The researchers focused on parental exposures occurring from three months pre-pregnancy until birth. They classified exposures as none, rare (a few times a year), moderate (weekly), and frequent (several times a week or daily), and categorized intensity as low, moderate, or high.
The researchers report, “The adjusted odds ratio of ASD in the children of mothers exposed to any solvents was 1.5 times higher than the mothers of TD children. Cumulative exposure indicated that the adjusted odds ratio associated with a moderate level of solvent exposure in mothers was 1.85 for children with ASD compared with TD children. No other exposures were associated with ASD in mothers, fathers, or the parents combined.”
The researchers note that while their study shows a possible association between maternal exposure to solvents and ASD in children, it does not prove that solvents cause ASD. They add that their results should be interpreted with caution because the association between ASD and maternal solvent exposure was no longer significant after the researchers corrected for statistical bias. “However,” they say, “these results are consistent with earlier reports that have identified solvents as a potential risk factor for ASD.”
Unlike a number of earlier studies, this study did not detect a relationship between parental occupational exposure to metals or pesticides and ASD. The researchers say this may be due to the small number of participants who had significant exposure to metals or pesticides.
“The CHARGE study: an assessment of parental occupational exposures and autism spectrum disorder,” Erin C McCanlies, Claudia C Ma, Ja Kook Gu, Desta Fekedulegn, Wayne T Sanderson, Yunin J Ludeña-Rodriguez, and Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, June 27, 2019 (epub prior to print publication). Address: Erin McCanlies Health Effects Laboratory, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV 26505, [email protected].
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“Mum’s workplace exposure to solvents may heighten child’s autism risk,” news release, British Medical Journal, June 27, 2019.
