Association between neonicotinoid insecticides and autism spectrum disorder risk

ZHANG Peng; CAO Zhongqiang; ZHANG Yuchen; FAN Yiwei; LI Ruizhen

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0745

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (3) : 272-277. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0745

olumn on Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children

Association between neonicotinoid insecticides and autism spectrum disorder risk

ZHANG Peng^1,2, CAO Zhongqiang², ZHANG Yuchen², FAN Yiwei^1,2, LI Ruizhen²

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Abstract

Objective To analyze the association between childhood exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides (NEOs) and the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods This case-control study enrolled 30 children with ASD and 28 typically developed children from Wuhan Children′s Hospital.Serum concentrations of NEOs and their metabolites were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association between individual NEO exposure and ASD risk, and the weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression model was employed to analyze the association between mixed NEO exposure and ASD risk. Results Concentrations of 5-hydroxy-imidacloprid (5-OH-IMI), desmethyl-thiamethoxam (NTHM), and sulfoxaflor (SFX) were significantly higher in the ASD group compared to controls(t=6.964, 2.276, 2.182, P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that 5-OH-IMI and NTHM were significantly associated with increased ASD risk (OR=47.738, 3.263, P＜0.05).WQS analysis indicated that mixed NEO exposure was positively associated with ASD risk (OR=7.83, 95% CI: 0.48 - 15.18). Conclusions This study found a significant association between NEO exposure and increased ASD risk.However, the specific mechanisms underlying this association require further investigation.

Key words

autism spectrum disorder / neonicotinoid insecticides / exposure

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ZHANG Peng, CAO Zhongqiang, ZHANG Yuchen, FAN Yiwei, LI Ruizhen. Association between neonicotinoid insecticides and autism spectrum disorder risk[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2026, 34(3): 272-277 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0745

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