Autism and insecticides: could maternal exposure increase risk in offspring?

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers have revealed that elevated levels of pesticide in pregnant women are associated with an increased risk of autism among their children. The study examined whether elevated maternal levels of persistent organic pollutants are associated with autism among children. The investigation was derived from the Finnish Prenatal Study of Autism – a national birth cohort study based on a case-control design – that comprises of autism cases in children born between 1987 and 2005. Within the study, maternal serum specimens were collected from early pregnancy and were assessed for...