Air pollution may cause autism, schizophrenia (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)
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A new study has revealed that exposure to air pollution early in life makes people highly prone to autism and schizophrenia.
Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D. said that these findings raise new questions about whether the current regulatory standards for air quality are sufficient to protect our children. The research stated that air pollution is made up mainly of carbon particles that are produced when fuel is burned by power plants, factories, and cars and different-sized particles produce different effects like Larger particles are least harmful because they are coughed up but it is believed that smaller particles known as ultrafine particles which are not regulated by the EPA are more dangerous, because they can produce toxic effects throughout the body.
The assumption led Slechta to design a set of experiments that would show whether ultrafine particles have a damaging effect on effect on the brain, and if so, it will further help reveal the mechanism by which they inflict harm. Slechta had affirmed in her earlier study that the findings add to the growing body of evidence that air pollution may play a crucial role in autism, as well as in other neuro developmental disorders. The study is published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.