摘要
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by stereotypic/repetitive behavior, impaired communication, imagination and social interactions. Recently, studies have investigated the possible association between the etiology of autism and potential roles of various environmental agents, especially heavy metals. The aim of the present study was to examine levels of toxic metals in hair and urine samples of an autistic child. The levels of lead, cadmium, arsenic and manganese in hair and urine of this child were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and compared with those of healthy children who had bee n assessed in previous studies. The autistic child had higher hair levels of lead （0.80 μg/g vs. 0.01 μg/g）, cadmium （0.083 μg/g vs. 0.06 μg/g） and arsenic （0.09 μg/g vs. 0.06 μg/g）. Urine levels of lead （12.54 μg/L vs. 3.36 μg/L） and cadmium （3.24 μg/L vs. 0.53μg/L） were higher than those of controls; whereas arsenic levels in urine were lower （6.81 μg/L vs. 32.06 μg/L）. Hair and urine samples of this autistic child contained lower concentrations of manganese （0.12 μg/g and 0.028 μg/g） as compared to healthy children （0.41 μg/L and 4.81μg/L）. In conclusion, our study demonstrated elevation in the levels of lead, cadmium and arsenic in a child with autism.
