Autism more common in rainy climates
Categories: Newborns, Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Health & safety, Medical conditions, Development, In the news, Environment, Special needs
According to experts, the increasing number of autistic children can be partly attributed to the fact that doctors are better able to diagnose the condition than they used to be. But better diagnostic techniques cannot account for the fact that autism rates have increased in the past 30 years from 1 in 2,500 children to 1 in 150 children.Scientists are looking everywhere for the answer to this devastating problem -- even the sky. New research, led by Cornell University professor Michael Waldman and published in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, suggests that there may be a connection between rainy climates and autism. The surprising data reveals that autism is more prevalent among children who live their first three years of life in areas where rainfall rates are high -- specifically California, Washington and Oregon.
Theories abound as to why this would be. Perhaps more rainy days leads to more time spent indoors watching television, which may affect behavioral and cognitive development. Possibly all that time in the house deprives children of vitamin D while also exposing them to higher levels of indoor pollutants. Or maybe the rain itself carries something toxic that interferes with development.
It is an interesting theory, but before you pack up and head to Florida, consider that the answer could be 'none of the above'. Researchers have yet to link autism to indoor pollution or chemicals in rain and the authors of this study acknowledge that "further research focused on establishing whether such a trigger exists and on identifying it is warranted."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jenni 11-05-2008 @ 5:13PM
Or maybe it's the pacific ocean and the increase in the pollution of that ocean on this side. Did anyone else notice that all those states also are our western most states. Living in California and being a preschool teacher, I can tell you that we have seen an increase of cases. Whether that's just because of testing available or what, I'm not sure; but I found more interesting the location rather than the weather.
Or maybe it's just something to do with genetics and/or lifestyle; the ways of the west are far different than those back east, as is the midwest, etc... I really don't think it's the rain, I think that's just coincidence.
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Lindsey 11-05-2008 @ 7:23PM
The article states that autism rates are higher than state medians in counties with higher rainfall totals. It wasn't about these 3 states having higher autism rates because of higher rainfall (S. CA doesn't get much rain, for example), but rather that they chose to study these states, and found that certain counties had higher rates of autism- which they correlated with higher rainfall totals.
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Uly 11-05-2008 @ 7:53PM
Wasn't this study thoroughly debunked, say, two years ago?
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aprilkelm 11-06-2008 @ 3:18PM
"It is clear that an overheated nervous system is a main feature of autism" (http://www.wellnessresources.com/studies/entry/glial_nerve_cell_inflammation_in_autism)
"Very small amounts of dioxins that are not considered harmful to people are present in bleached paper products, disposable diapers, facial or toilet tissue and paper towels" (http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/dioxin.htm)
"Dioxins are absorbed into the human body through the digestive and respiratory tracts or through skin contact. They are then distributed throughout the body" (http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/dioxin.htm)
"Studies have shown that reproductive, immune and nervous systems of the developing fetus and children are more sensitive and susceptible to dioxin toxicity." (http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/dioxin.htm)
Ok, so, autism is a result of a problem with the nervous system. Dioxins are found in disposable diapers. Dioxins are absorbed through the skin. Diapers are next to your baby's skin for 3 years, and it seems that children are more susceptible to dioxin toxicity, which, by the way, causes problems with the nervous system. For crying out loud, can we do a study here?!? We have all these facts and we're talking about how RAIN might be causing autism?
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Heather 11-08-2008 @ 6:06AM
So what about the Northern States, Canada, and other Northern countries where it gets real cold and we are inside in the winter as well. What about British Columbia, They get just as much rain as Oregon and Washington.
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Maggie 12-18-2008 @ 7:00PM
Rainfall rates are high in CA? Then why do we have restrictions on water use in the SF Bay Area?
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