Mothers' Pesticide Exposure Linked To Kids' IQs
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Apr 21, 2011, 4:53:12 PM4/21/11
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Mothers' Pesticide Exposure Linked To Kids' IQs
by Richard Knox
April 21, 2011
Scientists report that children exposed before birth to a common class
of pesticides can have lower IQ levels when they reach school age. The
pesticides, known as organophosphates, are widely used in agriculture.
The new data come from three independent studies published in the
journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Study author Virginia Rauh of Columbia University recommends that
parents wash all fruits and vegetables and buy organic when possible.
One study, from California, involved several hundred women and
children who live on or near farms where pesticides are sprayed on
crops.
Researchers tested the urine of pregnant women for traces of pesticide
byproducts, called metabolites. Then after the children were born, the
scientists tracked them as they grew — so far, up to the early grades
of school.
"What we found is that mothers with higher levels of pesticide
metabolites in their urine had children with lower IQs at age 7," said
Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child
health at the University of California, Berkeley.
Eskenazi says children whose mothers had the highest pesticide levels
during pregnancy had IQs seven points lower than those with little or
no exposure.
"That's equivalent to a 7-year-old child performing like a 6-and-a-
half-year old," Eskenazi said.
She says the effect on developing brains is similar to high lead
exposure. Lead is known to damage developing brains.
On the other side of the country, New York researchers say the
pesticide risk is not just in farm workers and rural families. Two
studies there looked at city dwellers.
Crops most likely to retain traces of pesticides include fruits such
as apples, strawberries and blueberries, and vegetables like celery,
sweet peppers and potatoes.
Scientists at Columbia University studied a specific pesticide named
chlorpyrifos. It was found in many household products. Until 10 years
ago, many people used the pesticide in the home to kill roaches and
other pests, particularly in New York City, according to Virginia
Rauh, professor of population and family health at Columbia.
Back then, researchers found it in nearly 100 percent of apartment air
samples.
The scientists also measured levels of the pesticide in the umbilical
cord blood of 265 children in low-income households. Rauh says those
with the highest levels of the pesticide at birth scored measurably
lower on working memory and overall IQ when they were 7 years old.
"This is the type of thing that could eventually affect learning,"
Rauh said. "So even though it's a small effect that might be seen at 7
years of age, when children are just starting school, it could
potentially affect the way in which they read and follow
instructions."
It might also affect how tuned in they are to what's happening in the
classroom around them, Rauh adds.
Chlorpyrifos is now banned for household use. But Rauh says it's still
sprayed along roadways and on food crops. And many people have some
level of it in their blood.
Tips For Reducing Pesticide Exposure
Reduce home pesticide use.
Most home and garden pests can be controlled without pesticides. If
pesticides are needed, use bait stations and avoid sprays.
Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before eating them.
Go beyond a quick rinse and use a soft brush if possible.
Consider organic when possible.
Consuming organic produce can reduce pesticide exposure from food.
Republished with permission from the University of California,
Berkeley.
"They may be just as high as some of the residential levels that we
saw in New York City," Rauh noted.
So if she were pregnant, Rauh says she'd take precautions.
"I would certainly wash all fresh fruits and vegetables and if I could
afford it, I would prefer to purchase organic fruits and vegetables,
where we are quite certain there have been no pesticides used," Rauh
said. "And the same for my children."
But Rauh stresses that it is very important for pregnant women and
children to keep eating fresh produce.
Eskenazi, the Berkeley scientist, says she'd be sure to scrub even
fruits and vegetables that get peeled, such as oranges.
A third study published Thursday, also from New York City, found that
some people are more genetically susceptible to the pesticide risk
than others.
Some groups want a total ban on chlorpyrifos. Others think there
should be tighter regulation of its use on crops that are most likely
to retain traces of pesticides. That includes fruits such as apples,
strawberries and blueberries, and vegetables like celery, sweet
peppers and potatoes.
A spokesman for Dow Agrochemicals, which makes chlorpyrifos, says the
company won't comment until it's reviewed the new studies. But Dow has
criticized earlier claims that children suffered developmental
problems, saying its product was not to blame.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency told
NPR that it's taking another hard look at the risk of chlorpyrifos.
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135605139/mothers-pesticide-exposure-linked-to-kids-iqs
by Richard Knox
April 21, 2011
Scientists report that children exposed before birth to a common class
of pesticides can have lower IQ levels when they reach school age. The
pesticides, known as organophosphates, are widely used in agriculture.
The new data come from three independent studies published in the
journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Study author Virginia Rauh of Columbia University recommends that
parents wash all fruits and vegetables and buy organic when possible.
One study, from California, involved several hundred women and
children who live on or near farms where pesticides are sprayed on
crops.
Researchers tested the urine of pregnant women for traces of pesticide
byproducts, called metabolites. Then after the children were born, the
scientists tracked them as they grew — so far, up to the early grades
of school.
"What we found is that mothers with higher levels of pesticide
metabolites in their urine had children with lower IQs at age 7," said
Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child
health at the University of California, Berkeley.
Eskenazi says children whose mothers had the highest pesticide levels
during pregnancy had IQs seven points lower than those with little or
no exposure.
"That's equivalent to a 7-year-old child performing like a 6-and-a-
half-year old," Eskenazi said.
She says the effect on developing brains is similar to high lead
exposure. Lead is known to damage developing brains.
On the other side of the country, New York researchers say the
pesticide risk is not just in farm workers and rural families. Two
studies there looked at city dwellers.
Crops most likely to retain traces of pesticides include fruits such
as apples, strawberries and blueberries, and vegetables like celery,
sweet peppers and potatoes.
Scientists at Columbia University studied a specific pesticide named
chlorpyrifos. It was found in many household products. Until 10 years
ago, many people used the pesticide in the home to kill roaches and
other pests, particularly in New York City, according to Virginia
Rauh, professor of population and family health at Columbia.
Back then, researchers found it in nearly 100 percent of apartment air
samples.
The scientists also measured levels of the pesticide in the umbilical
cord blood of 265 children in low-income households. Rauh says those
with the highest levels of the pesticide at birth scored measurably
lower on working memory and overall IQ when they were 7 years old.
"This is the type of thing that could eventually affect learning,"
Rauh said. "So even though it's a small effect that might be seen at 7
years of age, when children are just starting school, it could
potentially affect the way in which they read and follow
instructions."
It might also affect how tuned in they are to what's happening in the
classroom around them, Rauh adds.
Chlorpyrifos is now banned for household use. But Rauh says it's still
sprayed along roadways and on food crops. And many people have some
level of it in their blood.
Tips For Reducing Pesticide Exposure
Reduce home pesticide use.
Most home and garden pests can be controlled without pesticides. If
pesticides are needed, use bait stations and avoid sprays.
Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before eating them.
Go beyond a quick rinse and use a soft brush if possible.
Consider organic when possible.
Consuming organic produce can reduce pesticide exposure from food.
Republished with permission from the University of California,
Berkeley.
"They may be just as high as some of the residential levels that we
saw in New York City," Rauh noted.
So if she were pregnant, Rauh says she'd take precautions.
"I would certainly wash all fresh fruits and vegetables and if I could
afford it, I would prefer to purchase organic fruits and vegetables,
where we are quite certain there have been no pesticides used," Rauh
said. "And the same for my children."
But Rauh stresses that it is very important for pregnant women and
children to keep eating fresh produce.
Eskenazi, the Berkeley scientist, says she'd be sure to scrub even
fruits and vegetables that get peeled, such as oranges.
A third study published Thursday, also from New York City, found that
some people are more genetically susceptible to the pesticide risk
than others.
Some groups want a total ban on chlorpyrifos. Others think there
should be tighter regulation of its use on crops that are most likely
to retain traces of pesticides. That includes fruits such as apples,
strawberries and blueberries, and vegetables like celery, sweet
peppers and potatoes.
A spokesman for Dow Agrochemicals, which makes chlorpyrifos, says the
company won't comment until it's reviewed the new studies. But Dow has
criticized earlier claims that children suffered developmental
problems, saying its product was not to blame.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency told
NPR that it's taking another hard look at the risk of chlorpyrifos.
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135605139/mothers-pesticide-exposure-linked-to-kids-iqs
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