Pesticide exposure affects boys more than girls

Chlorpyrifos is still widely used
in the agricultural industry
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos

On August 3, 2012, we posted a blog entry on how exposure to pesticides during pregnancy can affect fetuses.  A new study now reveals more details on the side effects of these toxic chemicals.

The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) has found that the insecticide chlorpyrifos affects boys and girls differently.

When comparing seven-year old boys and girls, the CCCEH determined that boys had more difficulty with their memory, which inevitably affected their IQ levels.

What it does

Chlorpyrifos was widely used in pesticides within the home until 2001, when the EPA restricted indoor use. 

This chemical is an endocrine disruptor, which interferes with the body’s hormones. The most common side effects of endocrine disruptors are developmental disabilities, such as attention deficit disorder, learning difficulties and even physical birth defects.

This study has been carried out at a few different levels. Earlier this year, it was shown that even low to moderate exposure to chlorpyrifos could have irreversible, adverse effects on babies’ brains.

The most recent study has focused on how different genders react to the same chemical. Dr. Megan Horton led the study where 335 mother-child pairs signed up to partake in the research.  After testing their home environment at age three, researchers tested the kids’ IQ at age seven. The boys’ IQ were, on average, three points below the girls’.

Chlorpyrifos’ reach

Though the EPA restricted the use of this chemical within the home, it is still widely used in commercial and agricultural sectors.  Farmers continue to use it for food and feed crops. Some parks and golf courses also use it. The lumber industry sometimes uses chlorpyrifos to treat wood.

People living in agricultural areas may be at risk of inhaling this chemical, thereby potentially affecting their unborn children. It is also possible to ingest it while eating fruit that have been sprayed with the insecticide, so caution is strongly advised.

Do you still use pesticides in your home? If you do, does this article change your mind about using them? If you no longer do, share your alternative solutions with us!

Source: Science Daily

In search of cleaner air

 

AllerAir's air purifiers
Speak to our IAQ experts
to find the best unit for you.

Though there is not too much to be done about your exposure to chemical substances out in the open, there are ways to limit how these chemicals can affect you within your home.   

If you live in an agricultural community, where a lot of pesticides are used, it is a good idea to invest in an air purifier to improve your indoor air quality. 

Even when windows and doors are kept closed, toxins get trapped inside the house, resulting in poor indoor air quality.

AllerAir provides you with different air purification options. All our units can be customized with specially blended activated carbon filters which help remove chemicals and odors from the air. Our HEPA filters also clean the air by absorbing particles, such as dust, pollen and pet dander, which are known allergens..

To learn more about our air purifiers, contact AllerAir.

Show your support for greener and healthier living by becoming a follower of this blog.

Pesticides inhibit proper childhood development

(NaturalNews) Mothers exposed to high levels of pesticides bear children with lower intelligence levels than children born to mothers not exposed, says a new study published online in the journal Pediatrics. Piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a common chemical used in thousands of household insecticides to boost the effectiveness of another chemical known as pyrethroid, delays childhood development and causes brain damage.

Megan Horton, a postdoctoral research fellow from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and her team tracked 348 mothers from around New York City for their study. They took both air and blood samples of the women to track their exposure to PBO, and compared the intelligence levels of children from each exposure grouping. Based on this assessment, the team observed a significant connection between high levels of PBO exposure and delayed development in children.

"Kids who were in the highest quartile range of exposure to PBO were three times as likely to be in the delayed category, compared to kids with lower exposure," said Horton, noting that the research took into account other factors that may affect development, including exposure to tobacco.

Pyrethroid insecticides have largely taken the place of organophosphorus (OP) insecticides, which were used more widely in the past but are now known to cause serious nerve damage and other problems in birds and mammals. But based on the evidence, pyrethroids are not much better as they cause significant harm to both children and adults.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pyrethroids are used in over 3,500 registered insecticide products. Known side effects caused by exposure include breathing problems, chest pains, rashes, blisters, endocrine disruption, reproductive problems, learning disorders, chromosome damage, blood abnormalities, and thyroid problems.