12 Years Later: Environmental Causes of Autism Still Unexplored

"The Environment as an etiologic factor in autism: a new direction for research"  by EA London was published online by ehp, Environmental Health Perspectives, in 2000. Today, 12 years later, it remains the direction not taken as "autism research" continues down the road of genetic obsession and largely ignores environmental autism research.

Although public health authorities have paid lip service to the idea that autism appears to result from gene environment interaction funding has been overwhelmingly directed towards the gene side of the equation. The people who are much smarter than most of us, who understand things we can not possibly understand, who do not need our input as unwashed, unthinking parents of autistic children simply keep on keepin' on with their religious like belief that autism is primarily genetic.  Following is the abstract and the suggestion for new lines of investigation into environmental exposures which the US IACC, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and other agencies involved with setting directions for autism research do not appear to have accepted. Of course the genetic obsession research has brought us a better understanding of autism causes .... hasn't it?

Abstract

Autism is one of a group of developmental disorders that have devastating lifelong effects on its victims. Despite the severity of the disease and the fact that it is relatively common (15 in 10,000), there is still little understanding of its etiology. Although believed to be highly genetic, no abnormal genes have been found. Recent findings in autism and in related disorders point to the possibility that the disease is caused by a gene-environment interaction. Epidemiologic studies indicate that the number of cases of autism is increasing dramatically each year. It is not clear whether this is due to a real increase in the disease or whether this is an artifact of ascertainment. A new theory regarding the etiology of autism suggests that it may be a disease of very early fetal development (approximately day 20-24 of gestation). This theory has initiated new lines of investigation into developmental genes. Environmental exposures during pregnancy could cause or contribute to autism based on the neurobiology of these genes.