Lithium-contaminated water during pregnancy may be linked to increased risk of autism

Consuming lithium-contaminated tap water during pregnancy may increase the risk of neonatal autism, according to a new study from the University of California, Los Angeles.

By matching lithium levels in Danish public water supplies with the country’s extensive civilian data on pregnancy and psychiatric disorders, researchers found that higher lithium levels were associated with higher autism diagnoses.

Compared to the lowest quartile (25th percentile) of recorded lithium levels, those in the second and third quartiles were associated with a 24-26% increase in autism risk. rice field. According to research It was published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday.

The authors found that the risk was 46% higher at the top quartile level compared to the bottom quartile.

“Drinking-water contaminants that could affect the developing human brain require intense scrutiny,” said senior author Beate, professor of neurology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. Ritz said in a statement.

Lithium’s mood-stabilizing effects make it a treatment option for depression and bipolar disorder, but scientists have long debated whether the metal is safe for pregnant women to consume, Ritz and She said. colleague explained.

They noted that increasing evidence links lithium to increased risk of miscarriage as well as heart abnormalities and defects in newborns.

Focusing on how environmental exposures affect neurodevelopmental disorders, Ritz decided to investigate the relationship between lithium and autism risk.

But we’ve seen some studies showing that lithium, a naturally occurring metal often found in water, can affect key molecular pathways involved in neurodevelopment and autism. .

Litz and lead author Zeyan Liew, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Yale University, collaborated with Danish researchers to study lithium levels in 151 public water supplies, representing about half of the Danish population.

To identify public works supplying water to pregnant private homes, they turned to Denmark’s comprehensive civil registration system.

A national database of people with mental disorders found that 12,799 children born between 1997 and 2013 were diagnosed with autism, compared with 63,681 children who were not diagnosed with autism. It turned out to be a person.

They also said they controlled for other factors that may be associated with an increased risk of autism, such as socioeconomic and exposure to air pollution.

Studies have found that elevated lithium levels in tap water consumed by pregnant individuals also increased the risk of being diagnosed with autism in newborns.

The authors also observed that the association between lithium levels and autism risk was slightly stronger in people living in urban areas than in those living in rural areas or small towns.

Using Danish data gives scientists access to high-quality medical registry information. This information already linked chronic low-dose lithium intake to psychiatric disorders in adults, Liew explained.

The country was also an ideal test case as it ranks among the lowest in Europe for bottled water consumption. So, according to the author, Danes mostly rely on tap water.

Denmark, which tends to have low to moderate levels of lithium compared to other countries, has a robust system for tracking metals in tap water, Ritz added.

While emphasizing the high quality of the data, Ritz recognized the importance of replicating this study in other populations around the world.

This is especially important due to the ubiquitous footprint of lithium batteries, a key component in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, toys and electronic devices.

“In the future, the use and disposal of lithium batteries in landfills with potential groundwater contamination could lead to more widespread anthropogenic sources of lithium in water,” said Ritz.