By Elizabeth Barker
For moms-to-be, keeping away from pesticides could protect the baby’s brain. In a recent study from Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers found that children exposed to organophosphate pesticides in the womb had lower intelligence scores at age seven. A class of pesticides known to damage nerve cells, organophosphates are widely used on food crops in the United States.
The study involved 329 children, all of whom were followed from before birth. Looking at urine samples and questionnaires provided by participants’ mothers, the study’s authors linked each tenfold increase in organophosphate exposure during pregnancy to a 5.5 point drop in overall scores on IQ tests given when the children were seven-years-old. “That difference could mean, on average, more kids being shifted into the lower end of the spectrum of learning, and more kids needing special services in school,” notes lead researcher Brenda Eskenazi, Ph.D. What’s more, a separate study involving the same group of children pointed to a strong association between prenatal pesticide exposure and attention problems in children at age five.
Since the children’s post-birth pesticide exposure didn’t appear to affect their IQ, the study’s authors warn that this indicates organophosphates may have a particularly powerful impact on the developing fetal brain. In addition to opting for organic produce as often as possible, the authors recommend reducing your pesticide exposure by washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly and avoiding the use of pesticides in your home garden. You can also check the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides (available at foodnews.org) to find out which conventionally grown fruits and veggies are most heavily sprayed and which foods tend to be low in pesticide residue.
Photo courtesy Bonnie Elliott
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