Researchers Find No Connection Between Pesticide Exposure and Social Difficulties Common in Autism

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Prenatal exposure to certain insecticides used in agriculture does not appear to be linked to social communication problems and other traits related to autism, a new study shows.

Evidence over time has suggested that organophosphate pesticides, which work by interfering with the insect nervous system, increase children's risk for neurodevelopmental issues such as IQ loss, cognitive challenges, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, whether the chemicals may also contribute to autism-related traits has remained unclear.

Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the study of pairs of mothers and children showed that nearly all mothers had detectable levels of organophosphate pesticides in their urine during pregnancy, yet the team found no significant relationship in the children between this exposure and traits related to autism.

"While we know that that organophosphate pesticides can harm the developing brain, they were not a major driver of characteristics seen in autism at the relatively low exposure levels we observed," said study lead author Haleigh Cavalier, MPH, PhD. "These results should not be interpreted to mean that such pesticides are safe, nor do they rule out autism-related risks at higher exposures or among more vulnerable groups."

Dr. Cavalier, who was a doctoral student at NYU Langone Health's Departments of Population Health and Pediatrics during the study, noted that outside agricultural or occupational settings, most Americans primarily encounter the insecticides when they eat fresh produce. One explanation for the results could be that the health benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables may partially offset the chemicals' potential impact on brain development. 

Scientists have identified several genetic markers linked to autism-related traits, but environmental factors that could play a role have remained hotly debated. Small studies of prenatal organophosphate-pesticide exposure have yielded inconsistent findings, with some investigations uncovering a connection while others did not.

Published online Aug. 24 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the new assessment is the largest and most diverse of its kind to date that examines whether the insecticides might contribute to autism, the authors say.

For the study, the research team analyzed data from 3,339 mother–child pairs enrolled at 20 medical centers in the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. This large, nationwide study made it possible to take into account many environmental, social, and biological factors that may shape children's health that past smaller could not.

To assess prenatal exposure to the insecticides, the investigators measured levels of metabolites (the components into which the chemicals break down in the body) in urine samples collected during each pregnancy. The tests revealed that 99% of mothers had detectable levels of organophosphate pesticides in their urine.

Then, the researchers looked for associations between these metabolite levels and the children's scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale, a 65-item questionnaire designed to identify social communication problems and autism-related traits. By rating such challenges on a spectrum, the tool could capture participants who had not been formally diagnosed with autism but displayed many of its common traits, such as avoidance of eye contact, difficulty understanding other people's emotions, and needing to follow certain routines. The participants were evaluated when they were 5 to 7 years old on average.

"Our results demonstrate that there is still much more to be learned about autism," said study senior author Akhgar Ghassabian, MD, PhD. "Careful, long-term research can help clarify which environmental exposures matter most so that communities and policymakers can make more informed decisions."

Dr. Ghassabian, an associate professor in the Pediatrics and Population Health Departments at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, says the researchers next plan to examine how other types of pesticides, as well as microplastics and other toxins, may contribute to autism. They also plan to assess how genes tied to the condition may interact with these environmental hazards.

The authors caution that the metabolites measured in the study are short-lived in the human body, so they can vary over time. They are also influenced by each participant's metabolism. As a result, the markers might not provide a full picture of pesticide exposure.

Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grants U2COD023375, U24OD023382, U24OD023319, U24OD035523, ES0266542, U24ES026539, U2CES026533, U2CES026542, U2CES030859, U2CES030857, U2CES026555, U2CES026561, U2CES030851, UH3OD023251, UH3OD023320, UG3OD035546, UH3OD023332, UH3OD023253, UH3OD023248, UH3OD023313, UH3OD023328, UH3OD023318, UH3OD023279, UH3OD023289, UH3OD023282, UH3OD023287, UH3OD023365, UH3OD023244, UH3OD023275, UH3OD023271, UG3OD035528, UH3OD023347, UH3OD023389, UH3OD023344, UH3OD023268, UH3OD023288, UH3OD023342, UH3OD023349, UH3OD023286, UG3OD035533, UH3OD023348, UH3OD023285, UH3OD023290, UH3OD023272, UH3OD023249, UH3OD023305, UH3OD023337, UG3OD035508, UG3OD035509, UG3OD035513, UG3OD035532, UG3OD035516, UG3OD035517, UG3OD035518, UG3OD035519, UG3OD035521, UG3OD035527, UG3OD035540, UG3OD035537, UG3OD035529, UG3OD035542, UG3OD035550, UG3OD035536, UG3OD035544, UH3OD023282, UH3OD023287, UH3OD023365, UH3OD023244, UH3OD023275, UH3OD023271, UG3OD035528, UH3OD023347, UH3OD023389, UH3OD023344, UH3OD023268, UH3OD023288, UH3OD023342, UH3OD023349, UH3OD023286, UG3OD035533, UH3OD023348, UH3OD023285, UH3OD023290, UH3OD023272, UH3OD023249, UH3OD023305, UH3OD023337, UG3OD035508, UG3OD035509, UG3OD035513, UG3OD035532, UG3OD035516, UG3OD035517, UG3OD035518, UG3OD035519, UG3OD035521, UG3OD035527, UG3OD035540, UG3OD035543, UG3OD035537, UG3OD035529, UG3OD035542, UG3OD035550, UG3OD035536, and UG3OD035544.

Along with Dr. Cavalier and Dr. Ghassabian, NYU Langone researchers involved in the study are Mengling Liu, PhD; Yelena Afanasyeva, MS; Yu Chen, PhD, MPH; and Leonardo Trasande, MD.

Dr. Cavalier is now a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University in New York City.

Other study co-investigators are Heather Volk, PhD, MPH, at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; Apollo Kivumbi, MD, MPH, and Kristen Lyall, ScD, at Drexel University in Philadelphia; Kurunthachalam Kannan, PhD, and Zhongmin Li, PhD, in the New York State Department of Health; Allison Sherris, PhD, at the University of Washington in Seattle; Lisa Croen, PhD, and Jennifer Ames, PhD, at Kaiser Permanente in Pleasanton, California; Rebecca Schmidt, PhD, and Deborah Bennett, PhD, at the University of California, Davis; Carrie Breton, ScD, and Theresa Bastain, PhD, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles; Amanda Bakian, PhD, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City; Nicole Alkhouri, MS, at Michigan State University in East Lansing; Stephanie Eick, PhD, MPH, at Emory University in Atlanta; Jaclyn Goodrich, PhD, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; Susan Schantz, PhD, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Thomas O'Connor, PhD, at the University of Rochester in New York; Margaret Karagas, PhD, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; and Julie Herbstman, PhD, at Columbia University in New York City.

About NYU Langone Health
NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 118 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation four years in a row, and it continues to have the most No. 1– and top 10–ranked specialties among medical centers in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across seven inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 330 outpatient locations in the New York City area and Florida. The system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise.

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SOURCE NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health