Researchers find that babies exposed to lots of air pollution are more likely to become autistic.

Researchers find that babies exposed to lots of air pollution are more likely to become autistic. The findings, which focused on the impact on babies in the womb and in their first year of life, support previous research linking how close children live to freeways with their risk of autism. The new study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, analyzed 500 California children. Researchers stressed that their study does not definitively prove that pollution is the cause of autism. “Autism is a complex disorder and it’s likely there are many factors contributing,” said the study’s lead author, Heather Volk, of the University of Southern California. U.S. authorities say one in every 88 children has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum Story from: FairWarning’s site.