Studies identify link between prenatal pesticides exposure and development in children

Three independent studies just published found that children whose mothers are exposed to common agricultural pesticides are more likely to experience a range of deleterious effects in their cognitive development, including lower IQ, as well as impaired reasoning and memory. Organic agriculture prohibits the use of these pesticides, and all other toxic and persistent chemicals.

“Less pesticide exposure during the maternal life stage means less risks to your babies for a variety of diseases that will only manifest years later. Since women eat more during their pregnancy, one significant way to reduce their pesticide exposure is to eat organic foods,” said Dr. Chensheng (Alex) Lu of the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health in the USA. Dr. Lu led previous research that found that pesticide residues, which show up in the urine of children eating conventionally produced fruits and vegetables, disappeared from children’s urine when they switched to organic produce.
 

The peer-reviewed studies, all funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health in the USA and published online in Environmental Health Perspectives, found links between delayed cognitive development and both dietary and environmental exposure to some of the most widely used agricultural pesticides. The studies examined individuals from a range of ethnic backgrounds, and those who lived in both rural and urban settings. The lead researcher of one of the studies, Professor Brenda Eskenazi of the University of California at Berkeley, likened the effects of prenatal pesticide exposure to that of high lead exposure. Lead has been shown to disrupt brain function in young children.
 

The studies are available here:
 

Prenatal Exposure and Cognitive Development in Childhood

Prenatal Exposure and IQ in 7-Year Old Children

7-Year Neurodevelopmental Scores & Prenatal Exposure to A Common Agricultural Pesticide

Source: OTA