A study links rainfall to the incidence of autism
One more reason to wonder about the health implications of dreary weather.
Our weather gets blamed for a lot of things, from causing depression to vitamin D deficiencies. But a recent controversial study by a Cornell University economist suggests a new reason to worry. In looking at whether television plays a role in causing or triggering autism in kids, the researchers discovered a link between the amount of time children spend indoors during rainy weather and the rate of autism – presumably because house-bound kids watch more TV.
"Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey, we first establish that the amount of television a young child watches is positively related to the amount of precipitation in the child's community," says the study. "This suggests that, if television is a trigger for autism, then autism should be more prevalent in communities that receive substantial precipitation. We then look at county-level autism data for three states – California, Oregon, and Washington – characterized by high precipitation variability. Employing a variety of tests, we show that in each of the three states (and across all three states when pooled) there is substantial evidence that county autism rates are indeed positively related to county-wide levels of precipitation."
The full report is here.
Like what you just read? Support high quality local journalism by becoming a member of Crosscut.com today!
Comments:
Posted Sun, Apr 8, 3:09 a.m. inappropriate
Autism and Precipitation and the Murky Maze of Correlation: The reason for this positive correlation may be that sun is a natural detoxifier and being indoors surrounded by synthetics and greater EMFs (including television) make a child susceptible to the effects of thimersol (ethylmercury) in vaccines by compromising his immune system or lowering her glutathione levels. This tendency for commercially-funded science to dig up correlations and imply cause and effect is a typical strategy of corporate funded PR activity to draw attention away from their own culpability. The only logic here is that one correlation suggests another. Perhaps it is the character of a parent, who would allow a child under the age of two to sit in front of a televison for significant periods of time, that correlates with a general lackadasical attitude about what they expose their child to. Perhaps the correlation is that phenymercuric acetate might have used in greater concentration in indoor latex paints as an antifouling agent (mold retardant) in areas of greater precipitation. Do you think it is true that precipitation is more likely to be responsible for autism than a known potent neurotoxin. Don't you question who's behind the funding of these studies? Now that might be a 'real' story.