© Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
研究論文の筆頭著者 Heather Volk PhD, MPH
近年，急激に増加している自閉症の発症に，車の排気ガスへの曝露が関連していることが明らかになった。カリフォルニア州の都市周辺に住む2歳から5歳の幼児に関する調査で，高速道路から309メートル以内に住む母親から生まれた子供は，そうでない子供と比べて自閉症を発症する危険性が2倍だった。この高速道路からの距離と自閉症の関連性は，子供の性別や民族，母親の年齢などの影響を除外しても変わらなかった。この結果は，交通関連の大気汚染によって生じるとされる炎症や酸化ストレスが自閉症の発症に関与するとの最近の所見と一致する。（吉田素子）
Researcher from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and USC Finds Proximity to Freeway is Associated with Autism
Living near a freeway may be associated with increased risk of autism, according to a study published by a team of researchers from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) and the UC Davis MIND Institute.
The paper will appear online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives this week.
“Children born to mothers living within 309 meters of a freeway appeared to be twice as likely to have autism,” said Heather Volk, PhD, MPH, and first author on the study. Dr. Volk holds a joint appointment at the Community, Health Outcomes & Intervention Research Program at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute and the Department of Preventative Medicine at USC.
Autism is a developmental disorder that has long been ascribed to genetic factors. While changes in diagnostic criteria and increased awareness have been thought to contribute to the rising incidence of the disorder, these factors alone cannot explain the dramatic increase in the number of children affected. The Centers for Disease Control reported a 57 percent increase between 2002 and 2006. This study supports the theory that environmental factors, in conjunction with a strong genetic risk, may be one possible explanation for the increase.
While little is known about the role of environmental pollutants on autism, air pollution exposure during pregnancy has been seen to have physical and developmental effects on the fetus in other studies.
［単語和訳］
Researcher：研究者 Proximity：近いこと Freeway：高速道路 is Associated with：～と関連している Autism：自閉症
increased risk of：～のリスクの上昇 according to：～によると
online：オンラインで Environmental Health：環境衛生 Perspectives：視点（Environmental Health Perspectivesは雑誌名）
be twice as likely to：2倍～しやすい PhD：博士 MPH：公衆衛生学修士 first author：筆頭著者 Intervention：介入 Neurogenetic：神経遺伝学の Preventative Medicine：予防医学
developmental disorder：発達障害 has been ascribed to：～が原因とされてきた genetic：遺伝的 diagnostic criteria：診断基準 awareness：認識 contribute to：～に寄与する incidence：発症率 disorder：疾患 Centers for Disease Control：疾病対策予防センター environmental factors：環境要因 in conjunction with：とともに
environmental pollutants：環境汚染物質 air pollution exposure：大気汚染への曝露 pregnancy：妊娠 developmental：発達上の fetus：胎児
