Study Links Pet Shampoos To Autism Risks

The results of a study indicating an increased risk of autism by the use of household pesticides and pet shampoos that contain pyrethrin, around unborn and very young children, is to be presented to the annual International Meeting For Autism Research, (IMFAR) later today.

Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Ph.D., Principal Investigator at the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) project, (UC Davis University of California) will present preliminary findings from her study into the effect of environmental factors on the risk of developing Autism Spectrum Disorder, (ASD) at the London West Novotel this afternoon.

The study found that of mothers who participated in the project, those with children who had ASD were twice as likely to report that they had used pyrethrin based pet shampoos, than mothers in a control group.

Living closer to the ground, children have higher exposures to toxic chemicals residing in carpets and brought into the house by foot-traffic. It may be that mothers of ASD children are more aware of these environmental risks and therefore more likely to report them. However this study does raise the possibility that pyrethrins, which are also found in flea-sprays, may be linked to an increased risk of autism