Autism Spectrum Disorder and Prenatal or Early Life Exposure to Pesticides: A Short Review

Alessandro Miani, Giovanni Imbriani, Giovanni De Filippis, Donato De Giorgi, Luigi Peccarisi, Manuela Colangelo, Manuela Pulimeno, Maria Domenica Castellone, Giuseppe Nicolardi, Giancarlo Logroscino and Prisco Piscitelli
Additional contact information
Alessandro Miani: Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA), 20123 Milan, Italy
Giovanni Imbriani: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, Università del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Giovanni De Filippis: Local Health Authority ASL Le, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Donato De Giorgi: Local Health Authority ASL Le, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Luigi Peccarisi: Local Health Authority ASL Le, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Manuela Colangelo: Italian Association for Health, Environment and Society (AISAS), 73023 Lizzanello, Italy
Manuela Pulimeno: Staff UNESCO Chair on Health Education and Sustainable Development, Federico II University, 80100 Naples, Italy
Maria Domenica Castellone: National Research Council (CNR-IEOS), 80131 Naples, Italy
Giuseppe Nicolardi: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, Università del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Giancarlo Logroscino: Department of Basic Medicine Sciences, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
Prisco Piscitelli: Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA), 20123 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: Background : Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses have rapidly increased globally. Both environmental and genetic factors appear to contribute to the development of ASD. Several studies have shown a potential association between prenatal or postnatal pesticide exposure and the risk of developing ASD. Methods : We reviewed the available literature concerning the relationship between early life exposure to pesticides used in agriculture, such as organochlorines, organophosphates and pyrethroids, and ASD onset in childhood. We searched on Medline and Scopus for cohort or case–control studies published in English from 1977 to 2020. Results : A total of seven articles were selected for the review. We found a remarkable association between the maternal exposure to pyrethroid, as well as the exposure to organophosphate during pregnancy or in the first years of childhood, and the risk of ASD onset. This association was found to be less evident with organochlorine pesticides. Pregnancy seems to be the time when pesticide exposure appears to have the greatest impact on the onset of ASD in children. Conclusions : Among the different environmental pollutants, pesticides should be considered as emerging risk factors for ASD. The potential association identified between the exposure to pesticides and ASD needs to be implemented and confirmed by further epidemiological studies based on individual assessment both in outdoor and indoor conditions, including multiple confounding factors, and using statistical models that take into account single and multiple pesticide residues.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; pesticides; pregnancy; prenatal and postnatal exposure; children (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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