Parental occupational exposure to organic solvents and autism spectrum disorder
Y. Tebourbi, A. Chouchane, C. Mahjoub, H. Ben Abid, A. Gaddour, S. Ben Fredj, A. Aloui, I. Kacem, M. Makhloufi, M. Bouhoula, A. Brahem, H. Kalboussi, O. ElMaalel, C. Ben Hammouda, A. Guedria, S. ChattiIntroduction
The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, involving both genetic and environmental factors. Parental occupational exposure to neurotoxicants such as organic solvents has been proposed as a potential environmental risk factor.
Objectives
This study aimed to investigate the association between parental occupational exposure to organic solvents and the risk of ASD in Tunisian children.
Methods
A case-control study was conducted between May and December 2022. Cases were children with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD, based on DSM-5 criteria who were compared to controls with no neuropsychiatric disorder. A pre-established questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and occupational data from parents. Occupational exposures lasting a minimum of one year and starting at least three months before conception, were considered relevant. Exposure to solvents was evaluated based on an exposure matrix.
Results
A total of 70 ASD cases and 70 controls were included in the study. The mean age of the cases was 9.3 ± 3.0 years compared to 7.0 ± 2.8 years for the controls, with a statistically significant difference (p < 10ˉ 3 ). The most common occupation among mothers in both groups was manual workers (63% in cases vs. 59.7% in controls, p = 0.71). Among mothers of cases, 21.4% were exposed to organic solvents [vs 38.6% in controls]. The handling of organic solvents by mothers was associated with a significantly lower risk of ASD (p=0.02; OR=0.43 95% CI [0.20-0.91]). The predominant occupation for fathers of cases was drivers (17.1%) and for controls was manual workers (20%). Paternal exposure to organic solvents was reported in 32.9% of cases [vs 31.4% in controls] with no significant association found between the father’s handling of organic solvents and the risk of ASD.
Conclusions
In this study, only maternal occupational exposure to organic solvents was associated with a significantly lower risk of ASD occurrence. This unexpected protective association requires further investigation and may reflect study limitations.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared