Parental Occupational Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Erin C. McCanlies; Desta Fekedulegn; Anna Mnatsakanova; Cecil M. Burchfiel; Wayne T. Sanderson; Luenda E. Charles; Irva Hertz-Picciotto

doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1468-1

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

November 2012, Volume 42, Issue 11, pp 2323–2334

Parental Occupational Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Authors
Authors and affiliations

Erin C. McCanliesEmail author
Desta Fekedulegn
Anna Mnatsakanova
Cecil M. Burchfiel
Wayne T. Sanderson
Luenda E. Charles
Irva Hertz-Picciotto

Original Paper

First Online:: 08 March 2012

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Abstract

Both self-report and industrial hygienist (IH) assessed parental occupational information were used in this pilot study in which 174 families (93 children with ASD and 81 unaffected children) enrolled in the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment study participated. IH results indicated exposures to lacquer, varnish, and xylene occurred more often in the parents of children with ASD compared to the parents of unaffected children. Parents of children with ASD were more likely to report exposures to asphalt and solvents compared to parents of unaffected children. This study was limited by the small sample size, but results suggest that workplace exposures to some chemicals may be important in the etiology of ASD and deserve further investigation.

Keywords

Autism Autism spectrum disorder Parental exposures Parent Occupation Exposure

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Authors and Affiliations

Erin C. McCanlies
- 1
Email author
Desta Fekedulegn
- 1
Anna Mnatsakanova
- 1
Cecil M. Burchfiel
- 1
Wayne T. Sanderson
- 2
Luenda E. Charles
- 1
Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- 3

1.National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, MS: L4050MorgantownUSA
2.College of Public Health, The University of KentuckyLexingtonUSA
3.University of California, DavisDavisUSA

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