A new study by Israeli researchers has found that the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children and adults may be linked to air pollution.

Results of the study are published in ‘Brain Medicine’. According to the ‘Daily Mail’, women who breathe polluted air during pregnancy have a higher risk of giving birth to a child with ASD.

The research conducted by Israeli scientists found that babies who are genetically predisposed to autism and are exposed to four common pollutants were at greater risk of developing the disorder.

Haitham Amal, a worldleading expert in nitric oxide (NO) and brain disorders and the head of The Laboratory of Neuromics, Cell Signaling, and Translational Medicine at Hebrew University, has found that NO is a major culprit in ASD. NO is a gas released when cars burn fuel.

The researchers also noted that four components to air pollution, including small particulate matter of dust or smoke, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and ozone may also contribute to the development of ASD, reported the ‘NewsmaxHealth’.