Tech | April 21, 2011 | 27 comments

Studies link low IQ to prenatal pesticide exposure

source: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/studies-link-low-iq-to-prenatal-pesticide-exposur...

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JanforGore
High levels of pesticide exposure in pregnant women have been linked to lower IQs in their children, according to three separate US studies.

Two studies were done in New York City and a third was in Salinas, a farming area of northern California. All spanned nearly a decade, tracking levels of pesticide in expectant mothers and testing nearly 1,000 children up to age nine.

Researchers looked at exposure to a family of pesticides known as organophosphates, which are commonly used on fruit and vegetable crops. The reports are published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

In the California study involving 392 kids, "researchers found that every tenfold increase in measures of organophosphates detected during a mother's pregnancy corresponded to a 5.5 drop in overall IQ in the seven-year-olds."

The differences held even after researchers accounted for factors such as education, family income, and exposure to other environmental contaminants, the study, released on Thursday, said.

Researchers at Mount Sinai, New York measured 400 women and their children from 1998 onward.

They found that "exposure to organophosphates negatively impacted perceptual reasoning, a measure of non-verbal problem-solving skills" between the ages of six and nine.

They also found that about one-third of the mothers studied carried a gene variant that made them less able to metabolize the pesticides, and that the negative effects in children were limited to this subgroup.

The third study, done by researchers at New York's Columbia University, looked specifically at one pesticide, chlorpyrifos, which was widely used to kill cockroaches and termites until it was banned from residential use in 2001.

In the sample of 265 minority children born before the ban took effect, higher prenatal exposure was linked to lower intelligence scores and poorer memory.

Children in the top 25 percent of exposure levels scored 5.5 percent lower in working memory tests and 2.7 points lower in IQ.

"These observed deficits in cognitive functioning at seven years of age could have implications for school performance," said lead author Virginia Rauh of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health.

"Working memory problems may interfere with reading comprehension, learning and academic achievement, even if general intelligence remains in the normal range."

Even though the studies were carried out independent of each other, the similarity in results raises concern, said lead author of the California study, Maryse Bouchard.

"It is very unusual to see this much consistency across populations in studies, so that speaks to the significance of the findings," she said.

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27 comments // Studies link low IQ to prenatal pesticide exposure

  • DeistofSurreal
  • JanforGore
  • UtopianSky
    • 0
      UtopianSky  

    • Jan, I'm glad to see one of your posts putting the blame where it belongs- pesticides and herbicides- instead of blaming genetic engineering.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
  • UtopianSky
    • 0
      UtopianSky  
    • JanforGore:

      You say:
      "It's to blame for much on its own."

      Except, you have absolutely no evidence to suport that claim.
      All you have is a stream of insults, because that is all you have ever provided.

      You say:
      "Don't twist this to suit yourself."

      My point exactly.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • "It is very unusual to see this much consistency across populations in studies, so that speaks to the significance of the findings," she said.

      Principal investigator Brenda Eskenazi described the associations as "substantial, especially when viewing this at a population-wide level."

      Organophosphate pesticide use declined more than 50 percent between 2001 and 2009, the Berkeley researchers said.

      However, both diazinon -- another common organophosphate that was banned from residential use in 2004 because it was a known neurotoxicant shown to have health risks for children -- and chlorpyrifos continue to be used in agricultural fields.

      Most of the modern-day exposure to such chemicals would likely be through eating food treated with the pesticides. Experts recommend washing produce with running water and rubbing it to remove residue."
      __________________
      Any company knowingly putting out a pesticide that is proven to be toxic to children shouldn't be in business.

    • 1 year ago
  • MDBard
  • JanforGore
  • PoliticalAmazon
    • 0
      PoliticalAmazon  

    • One of the predicted consequences of blasting weeds with Round-Up on a regular (i.e., pre-harvest) basis is the mutation of glyphosate-resistant "super weeds."

      Well, it has come to pass, and we are all in a world of hurt, because the seeds from a resistant plant can blow right into your yard, or your dog can bring it in on its fur, and then your yard is contaminated with a super weed.

      In the south they have giant pigweed which, I understand, is Satan's own plant. I'm glad I'm not in ag in the south, that is for sure.

      The positive side, they think, is that there may be a decrease in demand for GM-Monstanto seeds because, if the weeds are not resistant to glyphosate, there's no reason buying glyphosate-resistant seeds.

      However, companies now have seeds that produce plants that are resistant to other, stronger, herbicides

      Another tactic used is to till in herbicides into the soil. This is so incredibly stuipid, it almost makes my heart stop beating. The fertility in the soil is due to a wide range of organisms. Weed control is assisted by the critters in the soil (worms eat a surprising number of seeds in the soil).

      And they are tilling in poison? WTF?

      This NYTimes article from last year has a good explanation of the problem.

      http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html

    • 1 year ago
  • PoliticalAmazon
    • +1
      PoliticalAmazon  

    • Pesticides are linked with testicular and breast cancers, as well as other problems.

      When I was in college getting my ag degree, I spent a lot of time in greenhouses. The instructors were absolutely ninja about safety precautions when being in the greenhouses because you have to always assume they have been sprayed with something.

      I took it very seriously. I live in a farming/bedroom community, and I know more than a few people with cancer related to long-term (and unsafe) use of pesticides.

      I had a routine so I wouldn't contaminate my home, and expose my family and pets, to the pesticides I brought home with me on my clothing, hair, etc.

      I covered my carseat with a sheet every day before I went to school and, when I got home, I took it, carefully off the seat, then stripped down to my nudie-cutie-ness, and put the sheet and my clothing in the clothes washer, and started the washer, before I did anything else. No one was to come near me or touch me until I had taken care of the clothing and then showered and washed my hair.

      The people who are scary with pesticides and herbicides are the average homeowner. I've seen people spray Round-Up in the wind, with their kid down-wind about 4' from them. I've seen people spray pesticides and then pick up their child to hug them, without changing clothing.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • PoliticalAmazon:

      Absolutely. I saw a woman spraying it liberally on weeds in the cracks on her sidewalk (that she could easily have pulled out herself) as her child was sitting nearby playing. I had to pull my car over, get out and explain to her why that was not a good idea... she said she wouldn't do it again. Not only is there danger of drift, but also of toxicity to water sources as it gets pushed down sewers when it rains. However, if you look at the ads these companies like Monsanto put out, they make it look as though it is safe. Monsanto was sued and fined more than once for false advertising regarding glyphosate products, even to the point of saying it was biodegradable.

    • 1 year ago
  • FtheBULLSHT
    • 0
      FtheBULLSHT  

    • "In the sample of 265 minority children born before the ban took effect, higher prenatal exposure was linked to lower intelligence scores and poorer memory."

      Minority as in Black, Hispanic, etc?

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
  • vaxart
  • JanforGore
  • ninetyseven
  • ninetyseven
    • 0
      ninetyseven  

    • It is very unusual to see this much consistency across populations in studies, so that speaks to the significance of the findings," she said.
      HUH ?
      That the conclusion i guess...Great study...wonder how much and who paid for that
      information ?

    • 1 year ago
  • ninetyseven
  • August_K
    • +2
      August_K  
    • Image

    • I just read several articles on this last night!
      It's an absolute travesty what the pesticide companies are doing to us and our future generations. Our future generations won't have a chance if we don't stop this poisoning of our land and their bodies.

      The graph above shows the reduction in Nutrients when Monsanto's Glyphosate is used on just alfalfa. It's depleting necessary nutrients from all foods it's used on.
      Lack of nutrients leads to a weaker immune system and that leads to all kinds of illnesses.

      I was just reading this article........ it's not new but it's filled with some important info.

      "Glyphosate has been linked to sterility, hormone disruption, abnormal and lower sperm counts, miscarriages, placental cell death, birth defects, and cancer, to name a few. (See resource list on glyphosate health effects.)
      Nutrient loss in humans and animals
      The same nutrients that glyphosate chelates and deprives plants are also vital for human and animal health. These include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium, boron, and others. Deficiencies of these elements in our diets, alone or in combination, are known to interfere with vital enzyme systems and cause a long list of disorders and diseases.

      Alzheimer's, for example, is linked with reduced copper and magnesium. Don Huber points out that this disease has jumped 9000% since 1990.

      Manganese, zinc, and copper are also vital for proper functioning of the SOD (superoxide dismustase) cycle. This is key for stemming inflammation and is an important component in detoxifying unwanted chemical compounds in humans and animals.

      Glyphosate-induced mineral deficiencies can easily go unidentified and untreated. Even when laboratory tests are done, they can sometimes detect adequate mineral levels, but miss the fact that glyphosate has already rendered them unusable.

      Glyphosate can tie up minerals for years and years, essentially removing them from the pool of nutrients available for plants, animals, and humans. If we combine the more than 135 million pounds of glyphosate-based herbicides applied in the US in 2010 with total applications over the past 30 years, we may have already eliminated millions of pounds of nutrients from our food supply.

      This loss is something we simply can't afford. We're already suffering from progressive nutrient deprivation even without Roundup. In a UK study, for example, they found between 16-76% less nutrients in 1991, compared to levels in the same foods in 1940.

      Full article:
      http://www.naturalnews.com/031138_Monsanto_Roundup.html

    • 1 year ago
  • PoliticalAmazon
    • 0
      PoliticalAmazon  
    • August_K:

      You do know that glyphosate is the herbicide Round-UP, don't you? It's not a pesticide.

      GM seeds are of two types: the ones that produce plants that are resistant to the very strong herbicide Round-Up, and the ones that are resistant to some insects.

      GM Monsanto seeds that produce plants resistant to glyphosate (Round-Up) allow farmers to blast the entire crop field, and the GM crop won't be harmed, but the weeds will.

      Usually Round-Up is sprayed AT LEAST ONCE--right before harvest. It can be sprayed at other times, as necessary for weed control.

      Nice, huh?

      Test trials of harvested crops which had been treated with Round-Up showed that residues of glyphosate were present on frozen specimens (preserved for future testing) as long as 905 days, depending on the crop.

      Glyphosate has been linked, for a long time, to multiple myeloma.

    • 1 year ago
  • DeistofSurreal
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • Image
    • August_K:

      http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Roundup-Glyphosate-Factsheet-Cox.htm

      Thanks for that information. Glyphosate also kills beneficial species of insects, is toxic to fish and has been shown to decrease reproduction in males as well as increase diseases in plants. This combined with the millions of chemicals used daily in our world that are not regulated and or are approved with false testing have created a toxic storm. I do belieive we will come to find out that many of the maladies suffered by our children have been due to exposure to pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals from the womb throughout their lives. All for the almighty $$$$$$$$$$$.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
  • vaxart
  • Jake_Leonard
    • +1
      Jake_Leonard  
    • JanforGore:

      This mass production and long-distance transportation of agriculture will eventually have to switch toward a more localized system, right? If local and natural honey tells us anything, it's that the crops grown directly in our area of living best counter the negative aspects of said environment.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • Jake_Leonard:

      Yes, local food grown sustainably is best. It is actually taking root (no pun intended) in more and more cities around the country. One of the positive things taking place right now.

    • 1 year ago
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