Worse than Zika? Farming chemicals tied to developmental delays and decreased head circumference in newborns
by: Isabelle Z.
NaturalNews.com
Friday, May 20, 2016
It is no secret that organophosphorous pesticides (OP) can have dangerous effects, but a new study out of China shows just how deeply their reach extends. The researchers looked into how prenatal and postnatal OP exposure affected birth outcomes and neurodevelopment in infants in more than 300 mother-infant pairs.
They checked the levels of the relevant metabolites in the urine of pregnant women and their children once they reached two years of age, and also checked the children’s neurodevelopment using the Gesell Developmental Schedules.
They found an adverse association between the children’s head circumferences at birth and the mothers’ OP exposure levels. In addition, prenatal and postnatal exposure to OPs was strongly associated with a higher risk of developmental delays. This effect was only seen in boys.
The conclusion of the study, which is slated to be published in Environmental Health Perspectives, states: “Both prenatal and postnatal OP exposure may adversely affect the neurodevelopment of infants living in the agricultural area. The present study added to the accumulating evidence on associations of prenatal and postnatal OP exposure with infant neurodevelopment.”
A previous study in the same journal by scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, revealed that children younger than seven do not have enough of the enzymes needed to detoxify pesticides. Even older children are around five times more susceptible to the dangers of OPs than adults. When combined with their higher breathing rates, smaller bodies and tendency to play on the ground or crawl, the dangers are clear.
Organophosphates bear an uncanny resemblance to chemical agents that were produced during WWII, and the CDC has classified them as a “probable human carcinogen.”
Their extreme toxicity was illustrated in 2013, when 25 schoolchildren died in India after eating a lunch laced with organophosphates.
OPs commonly used on crops
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