A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science determined that babies in utero, who were exposed to pesticides through their mother, are at higher risk of irreversible brain damage that is directly linked to lower IQ. High dosages of the specific pesticide chlorpyrifos was the culprit.
Researchers used MRI scans to examine the brains of 20 New York City children between the ages of 5 – 11. The children whose mother’s tested highest for levels of chlorpyrifos were found to have “significant abnormalities” in their brain structure.
This was manifest by observable lower intelligence and difficulty with short-term memory. The decreased cognitive function observed in these children is alarming. Although there are yet to be long-term studies, it is abundantly clear that in the interim, the effects of this pesticide on children creates an overall lasting consequence that impacts society as a whole.
Virginia Rauh, of Columbia University remarked that “the prenatal period is a vulnerable time for the developing child . . . toxic exposure during this critical period can have far-reaching effects on brain development and behavioral functioning.”
“By combining brain imaging and community-based research, we now have much stronger evidence linking exposure to chlorpyrifos with neurodevelopmental problems,” said senior author Bradley Peterson , chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Although chlorphyrifos pesticide was banned in 2001for use in the home, it is still used throughout the US on golf course, farms, wood treatments, parks and highway medians. This means that we are still being exposed to the chemical, regardless of its current restrictions.
If the pesticide industry is producing such a dangerous chemical why is it being used at all?
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