Minimizing Children's
Exposure to Pesticides is Prudent
Do pesticides cause special problems for children? A new review
of a series of research studies completed during the last decade
suggests that the answer to this question is yes, and that we need
to be sure that children are being exposed to pesticides as little
as possible.
How was the review conducted?
A toxicologist from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine
reviewed over a hundred studies about children and pesticides.
The specific subjects of the studies included exposure, poisonings,
cancer, birth defects, and behavior. The conclusions of these
studies are summarized in the new review.
What did the review find?
Here are the results of some of the important studies included
in this review:
- Children are exposed to pesticides, often insecticides, in
their food and water, as well as to insecticides that are used
in around their homes. Children are also exposed to lawn care
herbicides, which can be tracked from lawns inside houses.
- The Minnesota Poison Control Center found that half of all
pesticide poisonings occur in children less than three years
old.
- Exposure to some insecticides is linked to disruptions of
the sex chromosome in sperm. This is the genetic material that
determines the sex of the child fathered by that sperm.
- Families of pesticide applicators have more miscarriages than
families not exposed to pesticides at work.
- Children in families that use professional pest control services
are at higher risk of developing leukemia than children in families
that don't use pesticides.
- A laboratory study suggests a link between exposure to certain
insecticides and hyperactivity.
View abstract
of the review.
Source:
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
PO Box 1393, Eugene OR 97440-1393 Ph. 541-344-5044 Fax 541-344-6923
http://info@pesticide.org
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