Scientific American has an article about the "baffling" (the reseachers' words) conclusions of a study originally looking at a possible link between indoor air pollutants and allergies. In what they say was by accident, researchers at the University of Rochester and Karlstad University in Sweden say they have happened upon a possible connection between autism and vinyl flooring.
The study was published in the journal Neurotoxicology.
For the study, families in Sweden were surveyed about the indoor conditions of their homes, including questions about their flooring. Of the 4,779 children (between 6 and 8 years old) considered in the study, 72 had autism. The four environmental factors that came up were vinyl flooring, the mother's smoking, economic problems and poor ventilation in the home.
A few things in the article to note:
- Phthalates, a chemical in soft plastic and some floors (its use in children's toys was banned last year in the U.S.) would be the main culprit. However the researchers (who describe their data as "far from conclusive") say they don't know if the children were exposed to Phtalates since they didn't measure chemicals in the homes.
- Scientists not connected to the study say they think the research is too limited to draw anything conclusive, but it appears to be enough to warrant further studies.
- The American Chemistry Council, which represents companies that produce Phtalates, unsurprisingly downplayed the significance of the study's results.