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AFP Updated: "2011/04/21 13:20" Chen Yi-Jun
Three U.S. studies released today indicate that exposure to high levels of pesticides during pregnancy is linked to lower IQ in children.
Two of the studies were conducted in New York City, while the third was carried out in Salinas, an agricultural region in Northern California. All three studies spanned 10 years, tracking pesticide exposure in pregnant women and testing nearly 1,000 children up to the age of 9.
Researchers examined the effects of exposure to organophosphate pesticides, which are widely used on fruits and vegetables. The findings were published in the journal *Environmental Health Perspectives*.
The California study, involving 392 children, found that for every tenfold increase in prenatal exposure to organophosphates, there was an average 5.5-point drop in overall IQ scores by age 7.
A study by researchers at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York, which followed 400 women and their children since 1998, revealed that "prenatal exposure to organophosphates negatively affected perceptual reasoning in children aged 6 to 9." Perceptual reasoning is a nonverbal problem-solving skill.
The third study, conducted by Columbia University in New York, specifically examined chlorpyrifos, a pesticide widely used to kill cockroaches and termites until it was banned for household use in 2001.
The study found that among 265 minority children born before the 2001 ban, lower IQ and poorer memory were associated with higher prenatal exposure to the pesticide. (Translator: Central News Agency Chen Yi-Jun)
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 110421/ 19/ 2q7wl. html
Pesticide Exposure in Pregnancy Affects Child IQ
Three U.S. studies released today indicate that exposure to high levels of pesticides during pregnancy is linked to lower IQ in children.
Two of the studies were conducted in New York City, while the third was carried out in Salinas, an agricultural region in Northern California. All three studies spanned 10 years, tracking pesticide exposure in pregnant women and testing nearly 1,000 children up to the age of 9.
Researchers examined the effects of exposure to organophosphate pesticides, which are widely used on fruits and vegetables. The findings were published in the journal *Environmental Health Perspectives*.
The California study, involving 392 children, found that for every tenfold increase in prenatal exposure to organophosphates, there was an average 5.5-point drop in overall IQ scores by age 7.
A study by researchers at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York, which followed 400 women and their children since 1998, revealed that "prenatal exposure to organophosphates negatively affected perceptual reasoning in children aged 6 to 9." Perceptual reasoning is a nonverbal problem-solving skill.
The third study, conducted by Columbia University in New York, specifically examined chlorpyrifos, a pesticide widely used to kill cockroaches and termites until it was banned for household use in 2001.
The study found that among 265 minority children born before the 2001 ban, lower IQ and poorer memory were associated with higher prenatal exposure to the pesticide. (Translator: Central News Agency Chen Yi-Jun)
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 110421/ 19/ 2q7wl. html