Research Suggests Possible Link Between Lithium Exposure and Autism Spectrum Disorder
A new study has found a modest increase in the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children born to pregnant women who were exposed to higher levels of lithium in their tap water. The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed data from Denmark and found that as lithium levels in water increased, so did the risk of ASD diagnosis.
The researchers checked a database of people with psychiatric disorders and mapped out where pregnant women lived in relation to public waterworks serving more than half of the Danish population. They then measured the concentration of lithium in 151 public waterworks and found a small but significant association between lithium exposure and ASD diagnosis.
Specifically, the study found that children born to women who had the second and third highest exposure levels of lithium during pregnancy had a 24% to 26% higher risk of ASD diagnosis compared to those with lower exposure levels. In contrast, the group with the highest exposure level had a 46% higher risk than those at the lowest level.
However, experts caution that this association does not show a direct link between lithium exposure and autism diagnosis. Dr. Beate Ritz, a co-author of the study, noted that further research is needed to understand the potential relationship between lithium exposure and ASD.
"We need to see if there's a viable and biologically plausible mechanism by which a small amount of lithium in the water supply can somehow do this," she said in a news release. "Replication of this research in other countries would be necessary to confirm these findings."
The study's findings have implications for public health policy, particularly regarding the regulation of lithium levels in drinking water. Dr. David C. Bellinger, a professor of neurology and psychology at Harvard Medical School, noted that "the wisdom of Solomon will be required" to develop guidelines for lithium in drinking water.
"Lithium has been linked to lower rates of hospitalization for psychiatric disorders and suicide," he wrote in an editorial accompanying the study. "However, if all these associations are valid, we would need to prioritize protecting the entire population from excessive lithium exposure."
While some studies have suggested connections between ASD and environmental exposures to things like pesticides, air pollution, and phthalates, none of them has identified a direct cause of the disorder.
"It's an interesting association," said Dr. Max Wiznitzer, director of the Rainbow Autism Center at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, "but causation is definitely not proven."
A new study has found a modest increase in the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children born to pregnant women who were exposed to higher levels of lithium in their tap water. The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed data from Denmark and found that as lithium levels in water increased, so did the risk of ASD diagnosis.
The researchers checked a database of people with psychiatric disorders and mapped out where pregnant women lived in relation to public waterworks serving more than half of the Danish population. They then measured the concentration of lithium in 151 public waterworks and found a small but significant association between lithium exposure and ASD diagnosis.
Specifically, the study found that children born to women who had the second and third highest exposure levels of lithium during pregnancy had a 24% to 26% higher risk of ASD diagnosis compared to those with lower exposure levels. In contrast, the group with the highest exposure level had a 46% higher risk than those at the lowest level.
However, experts caution that this association does not show a direct link between lithium exposure and autism diagnosis. Dr. Beate Ritz, a co-author of the study, noted that further research is needed to understand the potential relationship between lithium exposure and ASD.
"We need to see if there's a viable and biologically plausible mechanism by which a small amount of lithium in the water supply can somehow do this," she said in a news release. "Replication of this research in other countries would be necessary to confirm these findings."
The study's findings have implications for public health policy, particularly regarding the regulation of lithium levels in drinking water. Dr. David C. Bellinger, a professor of neurology and psychology at Harvard Medical School, noted that "the wisdom of Solomon will be required" to develop guidelines for lithium in drinking water.
"Lithium has been linked to lower rates of hospitalization for psychiatric disorders and suicide," he wrote in an editorial accompanying the study. "However, if all these associations are valid, we would need to prioritize protecting the entire population from excessive lithium exposure."
While some studies have suggested connections between ASD and environmental exposures to things like pesticides, air pollution, and phthalates, none of them has identified a direct cause of the disorder.
"It's an interesting association," said Dr. Max Wiznitzer, director of the Rainbow Autism Center at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, "but causation is definitely not proven."
. they found out that kids born to moms who had higher lithium levels were more likely to get autism diagnoses, but its all just speculation rn 
. 24-26% increase risk is still super small, right? 
like we're talking tiny increments here. anyway, experts are saying we need more research and replication before we can say for sure if there's a direct link between lithium and autism 
. also, it sounds like they're kinda worried about regulating lithium levels in drinking water since its already linked to lower rates of hospitalization for mental health stuff 
.
I can imagine how scary it must be for families dealing with autism diagnoses, especially if there's any potential link to environmental factors. This study doesn't necessarily mean that lithium exposure causes autism, but still, it's like wondering if you could've done something differently to prevent your little one from getting diagnosed 
. The fact that the researchers found a modest increase in risk and that some studies have linked ASD to other environmental exposures is kinda reassuring, but also makes us realize how complex these things are 
. I mean, I know lithium can help some people with mental health issues, but 24% to 26% higher risk is still pretty scary 
. What's even scarier is that they don't know for sure if it's the water or something else that's causing it. We need more research on this ASAP 
the idea that lithium levels in tap water could be linked to autism diagnoses is pretty mind-blowing 
. I mean, it makes sense that high levels of lithium could have some kind of impact on fetal development, but 24-26% higher risk? That's a big jump 
️. I'd love to see more research on this, like the doc said, to figure out if there's any plausible mechanism at play 
.
. And Dr Bellinger's comment about Solomon's wisdom guiding us on guidelines for lithium in drinking water is super wise 
. We need to prioritize public health while also understanding the potential risks 
.
like what even is going on? they say that women who drank tap water with higher levels of lithium during pregnancy had a 24-26% higher risk of their kids getting diagnosed with ASD 
but its not like they know for sure if it's actually causing the autism or just a correlation 
like what can we do to protect ourselves tho? should we start checking our tap water levels? 
?
like isn't it wild that research now shows a possible link between lithium exposure and autism? 
But at the same time, I don't want to freak out over nothing. We need experts like Dr. Ritz and Dr. Bellinger to guide us on what's safe and what's not 
And I'm all for prioritizing our public health policy too - it's about time we take a closer look at how our environment affects our well-being 
i mean like what even is the concentration of lithium we need to be worried about? 1 ppm? 10 ppm? it's all super confusing tbh 
and i'm also kinda curious if this has anything to do with our environment or like air quality and stuff 
.
. It makes me wonder if we should be looking at our environment and exposure to chemicals as potential risk factors for autism 
.
. I mean, who hasn't heard of it from those bipolar meds 
? But still, a possible link between tap water and autism is a bit sketchy 
. The study's findings are pretty intriguing 
- gotta think critically 
before we can say for sure what's going on 
?
. Anyway, back to this study... it's kinda mind-blowing that high levels of lithium in tap water might be linked to an increased risk of autism diagnosis 
. And what about people who don't even live in areas with high lithium levels? Are they still at risk? I feel like we're missing some crucial info here 
.
️.
.
. If there's even a possibility that our water supply could be contributing to autism diagnoses, then we need to start taking action ASAP!