Recorded presentation

George Lambert, MD, Center for Childhood Neurotoxicology and Exposure Assessment, EOHSI, 170 Frelinghuysen Road, Room 406, Piscataway, NJ 08854, 732-445-0174, glambert@umdnj.edu

Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is a group of developmental disorders that includes autistic disorder, atypical autism, and Asperger's syndrome. It is unknown how many children in the U.S. have ASD, but recent research indicates that ASD may affect 2 per 1000 children. There is little understanding of causes of autism. It is thought to be linked to genetics, but no abnormal or mutated genes have been found so far. A growing area of research indicates that the disease may be caused by an interaction between genes and the environment. Causes for the rise in prevalence are not known but might include change in diagnostic criteria, a greater awareness of autism, increased exposure to environmental pollutants and exposure to newly synthesized environmental pollutants, and increased survival of premature infants. One hypothesis of the cause of autism is that it may be a disease of very early fetal development (about 20 to 24 days after conception), and that environmental exposures may play a role. Currently, since no effective drug therapy for autism exists, it is important to uncover the causative factors associated with autism. In addition, due to the fact that environmental exposures have shown to have a positive association with autism, physicians and the public would greatly be interested in the subject matter

Learning Objectives:

• Define several environmental exposures that may have scientific linkages to Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Generate a set of policy and/or research recommendations for continuing the work to link environmental exposure to autism and related illnesses
• Understand the public health importance of linking chroinc illness to environmental exposure

Keywords: Environmental Health, Chronic Illness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation