ReviewToxics2023
Does Lead Have a Connection to Autism? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Toxics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Environmental pollutants as risk factors for autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Toxic Trace Element Levels in Maternal and Cord Blood Worldwide and Their Impact on Pregnancy: A Narrative Review.Journal of xenobiotics · 2026Review
- Environmental metals, prostaglandin pathways, and immune-mediated neuroinflammation in autism spectrum disorder: A secondary analysis of peripheral biomarker studies.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Article
- Contributions of Retinoid Signaling to Autism-like Behaviors Induced by Early Postnatal Lead Exposure in the Mouse Cerebellum.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Article
- Whole blood lead concentrations in children undergoing autism assessment in a community paediatric clinic: a retrospective cross-sectional study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Article
- An ecological study shows increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in children living in a heavily polluted area.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Lead contamination in human milk affects infants' language trajectory: results from a prospective cohort study.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Article
- Mercury and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring the Link through Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis.Biomedicines · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Environmental pollutants, particularly toxic trace metals with neurotoxic potential, have been related to the genesis of autism. One of these metals that stands out, in particular, is lead (Pb). We conducted an in-depth systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies on Pb levels in biological materials retrieved from autistic children (cases) and neurotypical children (controls) in this work. A systematic review was conducted after the careful selection of published studies according to established criteria to gain a broad insight into the higher or lower levels of Pb in the biological materials of cases and controls, and the findings were then strengthened by a meta-analysis. The meta-analysis included 17 studies (hair), 13 studies (whole blood), and 8 studies (urine). The overall number of controls/cases was 869/915 (hair), 670/755 (whole blood), and 344/373 (urine). This meta-analysis showed significantly higher Pb levels in all three types of biological material in cases than in controls, suggesting a higher body Pb burden in autistic children. Thus, environmental Pb exposure could be related to the genesis of autism. Since no level of Pb can be considered safe, the data from this study undoubtedly point to the importance of regularly monitoring Pb levels in autistic children.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.