Summary of Natural Contaminants in Drinking Water Linked to Autism:
A UCLA-led study of pregnant women in Denmark found a link between increased levels of lithium in tap water and a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder in their offspring. The highest quartile of lithium levels was associated with a 46% higher autism risk than the lowest. The research is believed to be the first to identify naturally occurring lithium in drinking water as a possible environmental risk factor for autism. The findings need to be replicated in other populations worldwide. The study raises concerns about the increasing prevalence of lithium in drinking water resulting from lithium battery use and disposal in landfills.
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Increased lithium levels in tap water are linked to a higher risk of autism, according to a new study.
A study led by a UCLA Health researcher has discovered a link between increased lithium levels in tap water and a moderately increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in the offspring of pregnant women exposed to it. The researchers controlled for various factors, including maternal characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and air pollution exposures, and used high-quality Danish data. The findings are based on over 12,000 diagnosed cases of autism and more than 63,000 controls.
First time link between autism and lithium in water supply
This is the first study to identify naturally occurring lithium in drinking water as a possible environmental risk factor for autism. Lead study author Beate Ritz, MD, Ph.D., professor of neurology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said that lithium’s mood-stabilizing effects mean it has long been used as a treatment for depression and bipolar disorders, but that there had been little research in humans about how lithium affects brain growth and development. The study suggested that lithium, among several naturally occurring metals often found in water, could affect an important molecular pathway involved in neurodevelopment and autism.
The risk increased as lithium levels increased.
As lithium levels increased, so did the risk of an autism diagnosis, with the highest quartile showing a 46% higher risk than the lowest quartile. Compared to the lowest quartile, lithium levels in the second and third quartiles were associated with a 24-26% higher risk of autism. The researchers also found the association between lithium levels and autism risk was slightly stronger for those living in urban areas compared to smaller towns and rural areas.
The study used high-quality Danish data.
Ritz and team worked with Danish researchers who analyzed lithium levels in 151 public waterworks in Denmark, representing the water supply for about half of the country’s population. The researchers used address information from Denmark’s comprehensive civil registry system to identify which waterworks supplied mothers’ homes during their pregnancy. Using a nationwide database of patients with psychiatric disorders, the researchers identified children born in 1997-2013 and compared 12,799 diagnosed with autism against 63,681 children who did not have an autism diagnosis.
According to the researchers, the study has implications for enhanced scrutiny of any drinking water contaminants that may affect the developing human brain. Lithium is increasingly used in lithium batteries, and there is potential for groundwater contamination if these are disposed of in a landfill. They note that the study results are based on high-quality Danish data but must be replicated in other populations and areas worldwide.
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