Prenatal exposure to a common pesticide used on farm crops may be responsible for lowering a child’s IQ by up to seven points, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Over 400 pregnant women in Harlem, New York were recruited for the study and were tested for levels of organophosphates — a type of pesticide commonly used on farms. The urban location suggests that these women were being exposed to the pesticides through produce purchased at the store, rather than in the environment.
The children were then given an IQ test at age seven. Researchers found that for every tenfold increase in prenatal pesticide exposure, the child’s IQ dropped by about 5.5 points. The children who had the highest levels of exposure scored about seven points lower than those with the lowest levels of exposure.
In the same edition of the journal, two other studies, another from New York and one from California, reported similar results in that organophosphate pesticide exposure lowered children’s IQs.
"As a group, these papers add substantial weight to the evidence linking OP pesticides with adverse effects on cognitive development by simultaneously reporting consistent findings for three different groups of children," explained EHP Editor-in-Chief Hugh A. Tilson.
Fruits and vegetables should be carefully washed to remove pesticide residue before eating, especially for pregnant women.