Pesticides
Linked To Hyperactivity Prenatal and childhood exposure are associated with an increase in attention deficit problems. By Thomas H.
Maugh II -- Los Angeles Times
Forty organophosphate pesticides were registered in the
United States, with at least 73 million pounds used each year in agricultural
and residential settings. ADHD is
thought to affect 3 percent to 7 percent of American children, with boys
affected more heavily than girls. Many experts believe its incidence has
increased sharply in recent decades, but critics attribute the increased
incidence to over-diagnosis. Some attribute the increase to the greater use of pesticides. The newest study, reported Thursday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives,
examines the effects of both prenatal and childhood exposure to the
pesticides, which are widely used in the United States to control insects on
food crops. Epidemiologist Brenda Eskenazi of the University of California,
Berkeley, and her colleagues have been studying more than 300 Mexican
American children living in the heavily agricultural Salinas Valley.
The researchers believe that most of the children in
the study were exposed to the malathion through food. 'It's
known that food is a significant source of pesticide exposure among the
general population," Eskenazi said in a statement. "I would
recommend thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables before eating them,
especially if you are pregnant.' " |