Study in California focuses on possible environmental causes of autism

From News 10 in Sacramento:

GRANITE BAY, Calif. - Belting out a song while playing his keyboard, Elijah, 9, (pictured) appears to be like any other active boy. But with a diagnosis of autism, Elijah and his pregnant mother may uncover some important clues to the disorder that affects 1 in 100 children.

Julie Fry is 11 weeks pregnant with her second child who has a 1 in 10 chance of being diagnosed with autism. By documenting the foods she eats and the products she uses, her blood and urine samples may reveal exposures to chemicals or pesticides that play an environmental role in the development of autism.

"Hair color, nail polish, sunscreen, perfume, insect repellent," said Fry, who added that she tries to eat organic food. "It seems that they're looking for a connection to pesticides."

UC Davis researcher Irva Hertz-Picciotto is leading the study called "MARBLES," which stands for Markers of Autism Risk in Babies - Learning Early Signs.

"Autism is very clearly not a single cause type of condition. It's got to be multiple factors," said Hertz-Picciotto, who hopes her study will reveal environmental factors that combined with genetics can trigger autism.

"We expect to find a number of different exposures that affect neurodevelopment and may be related to autism mildly, small increments of risk, for each exposure, but there may be multiple exposures," said Hertz-Picciotto.

The study has 100 women enrolled so far and 59 babies. The children will be followed for three years with blood samples withdrawn at regular intervals. Because the children have a higher risk of developing autism, they will also be closely monitored for signs of the disorder.

"Whether or not it helps with our family or families to come or maybe my grandchildren, I don't know. But I do hope that it will at some point bring answers," said Fry.