chlorpyrifos: Pesticide exposure linked to brain changes: study

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Pesticide exposure linked to brain changes: study

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iWpgvLu2E6STVd7dg7ouskByx8RQ?\

docId=CNG.087c462f440ac213392e47e7d4fa97cd.51

WASHINGTON — When pregnant women are exposed to moderate levels of a

common pesticide, their children may experience lasting changes in brain

structure linked to lower intelligence, a US study said Monday.

The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

examined New York City pregnant mothers who were tested for exposure to

chlorpyrifos, or CPF, which is widely used for pest control in farms and

public spaces.

The women in the study, which included 369 subjects total, took part

prior to 2001 when CPF was banned from household use in the United

States, though the chemical continues to be used worldwide in agriculture.

Researchers compared 20 children -- age five to 11 -- whose mothers

tested highest for levels of CPF and found " significant abnormalities "

in brain structure compared to 20 children whose mothers showed lower

exposures.

However, all the women in the study were exposed at routine levels below

the US established thresholds for acute exposure, indicating that even

low to moderate exposure could pose hefty risks to a child's brain

development....