Overview
- Researchers using Danish registries reported links between some maternal jobs and autism in offspring, publishing the findings in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
- The team analyzed 1,702 autism cases and 108,532 matched controls and drew on mothers’ employment histories from the national pension registry.
- Employment in military or defence and in judicial roles was tied to 59% higher odds of a child autism diagnosis during the year before conception and in pregnancy.
- Ground transportation work was linked to a 24% rise in odds, and signals across jobs were weaker when the work occurred during the child’s infancy.
- No significant links appeared after adjustment for agriculture, air transportation, chemical processing, or cleaning jobs.
- The authors point to possible exposures such as lead, exhaust, solvents, and job stress, while outside experts note the judicial result rests on 29 cases and that many tests can yield chance findings.