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[ad_1] According to a recent study performed by a UCLA Health researcher, pregnant women whose household tap water included greater amounts of lithium had a modestly increased chance of their kids being diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, is believed to be the first to identify naturally occurring lithium in drinking water as a possible environmental risk factor for autism.  "Any drinking water contaminants that may affect the developing human brain deserve intense scrutiny," said lead study author Beate Ritz, MD, Ph.D., professor of neurology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.  "In the future, anthropogenic sources of lithium in water may become more widespread because of lithium battery use and disposal in landfills with the potential for groundwater contamination. The results of our study are base