Economy
Studies link low IQ to prenatal pesticide exposure
Studies link low IQ to prenatal pesticide exposure.
High levels of pesticide exposure in pregnant women have been linked to lower IQs in their children, according to three separate US studies.
“”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.”
Please think about this review, think about the many (>130) pesticides used in Tasmania (at least 77 are on Australia’s most dangerous pesticide list- http://ntn.org.au/2011/01/10/toxic-hit-list-shows-australians-exposed-to-dangerous-pesticides/ ) …
… and realise that diazinon is even picked up in the DPIW pesticide monitoring program (see attached limited summary) – the one you would devise when you did not want to find any pesticides – as Tasmania has no “multiple barriers” to prevent pesticides used getting into water (ADWG), be that surface or ground, be that environmental, irrigation, drinking or that used by aquaculture.
This is a very significant analysis of these studies – the implications for ignoring where pesticides end up and their total impacts are indeed frightening, not to mention hugely costly to individuals and society.
Action needs to be taken now.
Download summary of pesticide detections in Tasmania:
X3-11_Pesticides__-DPIW-Tas_Rivers_Alison_Bleaney(2).xls
Dr Alison Bleaney – Tas Public and Environmental Health Network http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Pollution_Information_Tasmania#Tasmanian_Public_and_Environmental_Health_Network_.28TPEHN.29