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U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised “a massive testing and research effort” to determine what he says are the environmental causes of autism.

The causes of autism spectrum disorders are complex, experts say, and include a mix of genetics and environmental factors. Under Kennedy’s direction, however, the government recently ended funding for studies looking into some of those environmental factors.

ProPublica’s Sharon Lerner has been looking into the science and shares some of her reporting with Here & Now‘s Scott Tong.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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