Mercury exposure, autism rates, distance from mercury source: coal-fired utility plants, municipal/medical waste incinerators, commercial/industrial boilers, Cement plants

[Guest guest]

Link between industrial release of mercury and increased autism rates

<http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010782184>

A new study shows a link between industrial release of mercury and

increased rates of autism in children at a time when more Americans are

using compact fluorescent light bulbs that can release mercury if not

recycled.

All Headline News. 29 April 2008.

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Health Science Center discovers new link between autism, power plants

<http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/04/21/daily27.html>

Pregnant moms may be more at risk to giving birth to children with

autism the closer they live to mercury-emitting sources like power plants.

San Business Journal, Texas. 26 April 2008.

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Autism risk linked to distance from power plants, other

mercury-releasing sources

<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424120953.htm>

A newly published study shows statistically significant links between

pounds of industrial released mercury and increased autism rates.

Science Daily. 25 April 2008.

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*Mercury Exposure, Autism Linked In Study*

*Texas study is first to show link between autism and distance from

mercury source*

April 25, 2008

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/04/mercury_autism.html

A newly-published study of Texas school district data and industrial

mercury-release data, conducted by researchers at The University of

Texas Health Science Center at San , shows a " statistically

significant link " between pounds of industrial release of mercury and

increased autism rates.

It also shows --- for the first time in scientific literature --- a

statistically significant association between autism risk and distance

from the mercury source.

" This is not a definitive study, but just one more that furthers the

association between environmental mercury and autism, " said lead author

F. Palmer, Ph.D., associate professor of family and community

medicine at the UT Health Science Center San . The article is in

the journal Health & Place.

Palmer, Blanchard, Ph.D., of Our Lady of the Lake University in

San and Wood of the UT Health Science Center found that

community autism prevalence is reduced by 1 percent to 2 percent with

each 10 miles of distance from the pollution source.

" This study was not designed to understand which individuals in the

population are at risk due to mercury exposure, " Dr. Palmer said.

" However, it does suggest generally that there is greater autism risk

closer to the polluting source. "

The researchers said the study should encourage further investigations

designed to determine the multiple routes of mercury exposure.

" The effects of persistent, low-dose exposure to mercury pollution, in

addition to fish consumption, deserve attention, " Palmer said.

" Ultimately, we will want to know who in the general population is at

greatest risk based on genetic susceptibilities such as subtle deficits

in the ability to detoxify heavy metals. "

The new study findings are consistent with a number of other studies

that confirm higher amounts of mercury in plants, animals and humans the

closer they are to the pollution source. The price on children, the

researchers say, may be the highest.

" We suspect low-dose exposures to various environmental toxicants,

including mercury, that occur during critical windows of neural

development among genetically susceptible children may increase the risk

for developmental disorders such as autism, " the authors wrote.

Among the study's highlights:

.. Mercury-release data examined were from 39 coal-fired power plants and

56 industrial facilities in Texas.

.. Autism rates examined were from 1,040 Texas school districts.

.. For every 1,000 pounds of mercury released by all industrial sources

in Texas into the environment in 1998, there was a corresponding 2.6

percent increase in autism rates in the Texas school districts in 2002.

.. For every 1,000 pounds of mercury released by Texas power plants in

1998, there was a corresponding 3.7 percent increase in autism rates in

Texas school districts in 2002.

.. Autism prevalence diminished 1 percent to 2 percent for every 10 miles

from the source.

.. Mercury exposure through fish consumption is well documented, but very

little is known about exposure routes through air and ground water.

.. There is evidence that children and other developing organisms are

more susceptible to neurobiological effects of mercury.

" We need to be concerned about global mercury emissions since a

substantial proportion of mercury releases are spread around the world

by long-range air and ocean currents, " Palmer said. " Steps for

controlling and eliminating mercury pollution on a worldwide basis may

be advantageous. This entails greener, non-mercury-polluting technologies. "

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated environmental mercury

releases at 158 million tons annually nationwide in the late 1990s, the

time period studied by the Texas team. Most exposures were said to come

from coal-fired utility plants, municipal/medical waste incinerators and

commercial/industrial boilers. Cement plants also release mercury.

Autism is a little understood developmental disorder that appears in the

first 3 years of life and affects the brain's normal development of

social and communication skills.

The number of children with autism is not known, but a report by the

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the condition

is more common than previously thought. Health experts don't agree

whether that's because of an increasing rate of autism or an increased

ability to diagnose it.

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1: *Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a

predictor of autism prevalence*

Palmer RF, Blanchard S, Wood R.

Health Place. 2008 Feb 12

The objective of this study was to determine if proximity to sources of

mercury pollution in 1998 were related to autism prevalence in 2002.

Autism count data from the Texas Educational Agency and environmental

mercury release data from the Environmental Protection Agency were used.

We found that for every 1000 pounds of industrial release, there was a

corresponding 2.6% increase in autism rates (p<.05) and a 3.7% increase

associated with power plant emissions(P<.05). Distances to these sources

were independent predictors after adjustment for relevant covariates.

For every 10 miles from industrial or power plant sources, there was an

associated decreased autism Incident Risk of 2.0% and 1.4%, respectively

(p<.05). While design limitations preclude interpretation of individual

risk, further investigations of environmental risks to child development

issues are warranted.

PMID: 18353703

2. *Autism spectrum disorders in relation to distribution of hazardous

air pollutants in the san francisco bay area*

Windham GC, Zhang L, Gunier R, Croen LA, Grether JK.

Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Sep;114(9):1438-44.

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/9120/9120.html

OBJECTIVE: To explore possible associations between autism spectrum

disorders (ASD) and environmental exposures, we linked the California

autism surveillance system to estimated hazardous air pollutant (HAP)

concentrations compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

METHODS: Subjects included 284 children with ASD and 657 controls, born

in 1994 in the San Francisco Bay area. We assigned exposure level by

census tract of birth residence for 19 chemicals we identified as

potential neurotoxicants, developmental toxicants, and/or endocrine

disruptors from the 1996 HAPs database. Because concentrations of many

of these were highly correlated, we combined the chemicals into

mechanistic and structural groups, calculating summary index scores. We

calculated ASD risk in the upper quartiles of these group scores or

individual chemical concentrations compared with below the median,

adjusting for demographic factors. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratios

(AORs) were elevated by 50% in the top quartile of chlorinated solvents

and heavy metals [95% confidence intervals (CIs) , 1.1-2.1], but not for

aromatic solvents. Adjusting for these three groups simultaneously led

to decreased risks for the solvents and increased risk for metals (AORs

for metals: fourth quartile = 1.7 ; 95% CI, 1.0-3.0 ; third quartile =

1.95 ; 95% CI, 1.2-3.1) . The individual compounds that contributed most

to these associations included mercury, cadmium, nickel,

trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest

a potential association between autism and estimated metal

concentrations, and possibly solvents, in ambient air around the birth

residence, requiring confirmation and more refined exposure assessment

in future studies.

PMID: 16966102

*

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