Not So Rare

A landmark new study indicates that autism may be surprisingly widespread

  • Timothy Archibald

    Elijah Archibald of El Sobrante, Calif.- photographed at age 7 in 2009- has autism

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    For years, environmentalists and energy companies have fought over hydrofracking, the process used to access shale natural gas. Greens say drilling can contaminate groundwater, while gas companies insist that's impossible. Score one for the greens: a recent study showed that methane levels in water wells near fracking operations were 17 times as high as those in wells unaffected by drilling. Methane, the chief component of natural gas, poses an explosion risk at high levels but doesn't carry a known health risk.

    Sources: American Journal of Psychiatry; Annals of Biomedical Engineering; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Cancer

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