"We did not directly address this through these separate papers," study lead author David Luglio told CG, "but it is also important to understand if and how these wildfire and heat effects on autism development combine, especially given that they will likely co-occur in the future."
Exposure to wildfire smoke has long been acknowledged as a human health hazard, posing respiratory and cardiovascular risks. Disproportionate impacts on first responders, people experiencing chronic illness, children, and pregnant people have also become more widely understood.
More recently, however, researchers have been exploring the potential impacts of prenatal exposure to this type of air pollution, including an increased risk of preterm birth. Now, two separate studies, each published in peer-reviewed journals this year and assessing populations in California, are a part of what the environmental news outlet Grist called "growing evidence [pointing] to [a] link" between childhood autism and exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy.
The co-authors of the first study, published in January in Environmental Science and Technology, wrote in their abstract that "prenatal exposure to wildfire smoke may increase risk of autism among children." CG heard from lead author David Luglio about his team's findings and their related work.
The post-doctoral fellow with Tulane University's Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine recently published another study, this one looking at potential links between childhood autism and prenatal exposure to extreme heat. The researchers in that study found that "exposures to high nighttime temperature during early and late pregnancy were associated with autism risk in children," but noted that additional research was warranted to explore why high daytime temperature was not linked to the same risk.
"As a result of climate change, both wildfires and extreme temperatures are increasing in frequency and severity over time, and of course, wildfires are partly caused by extreme temperatures themselves," Luglio told CG via email. "We did not directly address this through these separate papers, but it is also important to understand if and how these wildfire and heat effects on autism development combine, especially given that they will likely co-occur in the future."
CG asked Luglio about how the other wildfire smoke study, published in Environmental International in February and not conducted by his team, might complement or otherwise interact with his team's work.
"The other study used wildfire smoke exposure data from a different source and analyzed its effects on autism in a different dataset. Nonetheless, they also found similar overall results," Luglio said, while noting differences.
"Importantly, their exposure metrics were different from ours and they conducted distinct analyses into the influence of factors such as urbanicity, among others. Altogether, these papers allow us to have a more comprehensive picture of how wildfire smoke is associated with autism and how vulnerability differs from one group or area to the next."
Previous research has shown that communities of color and low-income communities face disproportionate health risks from wildfires. According to AfroLA, for example, Black women may face increased risks from absorbing lead released into the air by wildfires, due in part to higher rates of iron deficiency.
Experts generally caution against fear-mongering and panicking over prenatal risks of various stripes. And the autism community encourages wider understanding of neurodiversity as well as improved funding and meaningful support for people who experience disabilities — especially during a time when autism has been stigmatized, politicized, and sometimes met with harmful misinformation. A number of experts in the field have suggested that a combination of genetic and environmental factors — not one factor alone — may influence autism.
Meanwhile, people who seek to limit wildfire smoke and extreme heat exposure in and out of pregnancy may wish to take some simple steps to support overall health. This would be easier, of course, if equitable access to basic resources were improved.
"Communities, agencies, and governments could provide easier access to fans or air conditioning or even provide cooling centers if necessary," Luglio said of mitigating exposure to extreme heat. These same bodies could also improve access to effective masks and respirators well before a wildfire breaks out and in consultation with maternal health experts.
Meanwhile, a just global transition to clean energy systems could mitigate both rising temperatures and wildfire risks worldwide.
Olubusayo Ruth Akinola — Head of the Social Welfare, Drug Control, and Crime Prevention Division of the Union — exchanged emails with CG following the release of a new report from the African Union.
ProPublica said in late February that the agency shared it "has stopped distributing" gear containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances following the outlet's early-February reporting that the agency knew for years its pants contained potentially harmful "forever chemicals."
The U.S. halted oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba in January. Later, the Trump administration threatened to impose tariffs on other countries that sent oil to the island nation. There have been reports of women cooking with charcoal amid blackouts — and of a surge in solar energy interest.
"Women and girls bear disproportionate health and safety risks, including physical burns, contact with contaminated waste, and exposure to toxic emissions from plastic combustion," Chizoba Obianuju Oranu, a researcher at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, told CG.
