Pesticide exposure in expectant mothers causes lower IQ in newborns

Three separate studies recently published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives indicate prenatal pesticide exposure to fetuses negatively impact a child’s learning ability. Their IQs tend to be lower. The greater the umbilical cord pesticide blood levels, the lower the child’s IQ.

Research Focus

These toxins originated mostly from conventional agriculture’s heavily sprayed foods. But farmers and farm workers were studied the least.

The three studies focused mostly on urban dwellers who consume those sprayed foods. One was done in UC Berkley, CA, another by Columbia University in NYC, and the other by Mt. Sinai Hospital researchers, also in NYC. It doesn’t get much more urban than that.

What’s Bad About Pesticides

Most effective pesticides contain different types oforganophosphates. As of the turn of our current century, many nations had bannedchlorpyrifos and diazinon, from domestic use. Those two pesticides were so heavily loaded with organophosphates that just having bug and ant poisons stored in one’s domicile caused health problems to occupants.