A recent UCLA Health study published in JAMA Pediatrics revealed that pregnant women whose household tap water included higher levels of lithium had a moderately increased risk of their children being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disease.

Certain lithium compounds have long been utilized to treat depression and bipolar disorders due to their mood-stabilizing properties. Nonetheless, there has been controversy regarding whether mothers can safely take lithium during pregnancy, despite mounting evidence that it is linked to an increased risk of miscarriage and heart abnormalities or malformations in babies. According to experts, any toxins in drinking water that may harm the developing human brain should be closely monitored.

The researchers analyzed address data from Denmark′s comprehensive civil registry system to determine which waterworks served womens houses during their pregnancies. They identified children born between 1997 and 2013 and compared 12,799 diagnosed with autism to 63,681 infants who did not have an autism diagnosis. They reported that as lithium levels climbed, so did the risk of an autistic diagnosis. The risk was 46% higher in the top quartile than in the lowest. Individuals with lithium levels in the second and third quartiles were related to a 24-26% increased incidence of autism.

They concluded that anthropogenic sources of lithium in water might become more common in the future as a result of the increase in lithium battery use and its disposal in landfills, which has the potential to contaminate groundwater. This study′s findings are based on high-quality Danish data, but more studies must be repeated in other populations and regions worldwide. 

(Source:  https://theprint.in/health/higher-lithium-levels-in-drinking-water-might-increase-autism-risk-study/1496350/)