(Press-News.org) There is no evidence that paracetamol use during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children, finds most rigorous synthesis of the current evidence to date published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health journal.
In September 2025 the U.S. administration suggested that taking paracetamol during pregnancy might increase the risk of autism among children. Earlier meta-analyses suggested small associations between paracetamol in pregnancy and increased risks of autism and ADHD, but these were often based on studies prone to biases.
This new systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 43 studies and found the largest and most methodologically rigorous studies, such as those with sibling comparisons, provide strong evidence that paracetamol during pregnancy does not cause autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.
The authors say the findings from the sibling comparisons and their pooled results from multiple studies suggest that previously reported associations between paracetamol during pregnancy and autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities may be due to other maternal factors, such as underlying pain, discomfort, fever, or genetic predisposition, rather than any direct effect from the paracetamol.
END
The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Women’s Health: Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities, confirms new gold-standard evidence review
2026-01-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities
2026-01-17
Under embargo until Friday 16th January 2026, 23:30hrs UK time
City St George’s, University of London press release
Peer-reviewed / Systematic review + meta-analysis / People
Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children. That is according to the most rigorous analysis of the evidence to date published today in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, and led ...
Harm reduction vending machines in New York State expand access to overdose treatment and drug test strips, UB studies confirm
2026-01-16
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Two studies led by an opioid treatment program run by the University at Buffalo and UBMD Emergency Medicine have found that harm reduction vending machines installed across New York State are well utilized and provide critical, lifesaving services to high-risk individuals who might not otherwise have access.
The studies, published late last year, evaluate the performance of the 15 harm reduction vending machines installed throughout New York State by the MATTERS Network, based at UBMD Emergency Medicine and UB.
MATTERS (Medication for Addiction Treatment and Electronic Referrals) now operates 30 harm reduction vending machines in New York State ...
University of Phoenix releases white paper on Credit for Prior Learning as a catalyst for internal mobility and retention
2026-01-16
University of Phoenix announced the publication of a new white paper, “Untapped Potential: How Credit for Prior Learning Can Redefine Employer Outlook on Professional Development,” by Devin Andrews, MBA, M.Ed., Vice President of Admissions and Evaluation. The report draws on a national University of Phoenix employee engagement and retention survey of 610 human resources (HR) managers and 1,195 employees conducted by The Harris Poll that examined how credit for prior learning (CPL) impacts internal mobility, employee retention and skills development. The analysis finds 98% of HR managers are aware of CPL—and ...
Canada losing track of salmon health as climate and industrial threats mount
2026-01-16
Canada is failing in a decades-old pledge to monitor the health of Pacific salmon, according to new research from Simon Fraser University.
At a time when government policy is geared towards accelerating industrial development across sensitive B.C. watersheds, an SFU study published today in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences reports that monitoring of salmon spawning populations has dropped 32 per cent since Canada adopted its Wild Salmon Policy 20 years ago.
The decline in publicly-available data means that scientists are ...
Molecular sieve-confined Pt-FeOx catalysts achieve highly efficient reversible hydrogen cycle of methylcyclohexane-toluene
2026-01-16
Professor Qiming Sun of Soochow University and Researcher Manyi Yang of Nanjing University successfully achieved confined loading of highly dispersed Pt-FeOx nanoparticles within nanosheet molecular sieves. This catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance in the dehydrogenation of methylcyclohexane and the hydrogenation of toluene, realizing hydrogen energy storage and release mediated by the "methylcyclohexane-toluene" reaction. The study shows that the Pt-FeOx catalyst possesses excellent ...
Investment in farm productivity tools key to reducing greenhouse gas
2026-01-16
CORNELL UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
FOR RELEASE: Jan. 16, 2026
Kaitlyn Serrao
607-882-1140
kms465@cornell.edu
Investment in farm productivity tools key to reducing greenhouse gas
ITHACA, N.Y. - A new study from Cornell University researchers finds improved farm productivity has been the driving force in keeping greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in check.
In the study, published Jan. 16 in Science Advances, researchers analyzed worldwide data from 1961-2021 to determine why agricultural production has far outpaced emissions. They found consistently that farmers’ ability to produce more output per unit of input, ...
New review highlights electrochemical pathways to recover uranium from wastewater and seawater
2026-01-16
As the global demand for clean and low-carbon energy grows, nuclear power is expected to play an increasingly important role. Yet the expansion of nuclear energy brings a persistent environmental challenge: the release of uranium into wastewater, mining effluents, and even the ocean. A new review paper published in Science of Carbon Materials provides the most comprehensive overview to date of how electrochemical technologies could help solve this problem by selectively capturing uranium in its most mobile and hazardous form.
Uranium in water typically exists as uranyl ions, a highly soluble and toxic species that can spread easily through natural and ...
Hidden pollutants in shale gas development raise environmental concerns, new review finds
2026-01-16
Shale gas has become a cornerstone of the global energy transition, supplying large amounts of natural gas through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. But a new scientific review warns that the extraction process also generates vast quantities of waste that carry a complex mixture of emerging contaminants, many of which pose potential risks to ecosystems and human health.
In a comprehensive review published in New Contaminants, researchers systematically examined the sources, characteristics, and environmental risks of emerging contaminants released throughout the shale gas lifecycle. The study ...
Discarded cigarette butts transformed into high performance energy storage materials
2026-01-16
Every year, billions of cigarette butts are discarded worldwide, creating one of the most pervasive and persistent forms of environmental litter. Now, researchers have demonstrated that this problematic waste can be converted into advanced carbon materials capable of powering next generation energy storage devices.
In a new study published in Energy & Environmental Nanotechnology, scientists report a method to transform waste cigarette butts into nitrogen and oxygen co doped nanoporous biochar with exceptional performance ...
Researchers highlight role of alternative RNA splicing in schizophrenia
2026-01-16
In an important new study, Chinese researchers have discovered the previously unrecognized role of alternative splicing of the DOC2A gene in schizophrenia.
The research was conducted by scientists led by LI Ming from the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and published in Science Advances on January 16.
Splicing is a process in which RNA is cut and recombined into the final RNA strand that determines how a protein—encoded by DNA—is formed. Different splicing ...