Scientists shocked to find link between vinyl flooring and autism

A recent scientific study looking at Swedish children and their home environment may be one of the first to show a link between autism and an environmental chemical, according to a story in Environmental Health News.

The study did not set out to focus on autism, but scientists were surprised to find a link between children with autism and the presence of vinyl flooring in the child’s home. Vinyl flooring emits phthalates.

Phthalates are also found around the house in vinyl shower curtains, children’s toys and in personal care products that include “fragrance” as an ingredient. The chemical has already been linked to reproductive and developmental problems as well as respiratory conditions like asthma.

The study looked at 4,779 children, 72 of whom had autism. It found common themes in the cases of the autistic children.

The researchers found four environmental factors associated with autism: vinyl flooring, the mother’s smoking, family economic problems and condensation on windows, which indicates poor ventilation.  

Infants or toddlers who lived in bedrooms with vinyl, or PVC, floors were twice as likely to have autism five years later, in 2005, than those with wood or linoleum flooring.

The study’s lead scientist also authored a 2004 study that found that children living in homes with high levels of phthalate-contaminated dust had higher instances of asthma and allergies.

The study may not provide direct insight into the causes behind the explosion of autism cases in America. While vinyl flooring is very common in Sweden, it is only found in 1 percent of American homes. But the study authors suggest that the findings still have implications for American autism.

The scientists said their new finding “suggests that studies of other chemical contaminants with endocrine disruptor properties might yield useful insights into the genesis of” autism.

Previously, three studies in California have found a connection between children’s exposure to household or agricultural pesticides and autism.