A study found that some pesticides may encourage the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, reports the journal Pediatrics.
This is the conclusion of researcher Maryse F. Bouchard and colleagues at the Université de Montréal and Harvard University. They conducted this study with support from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The team observed 1,139 children and measured the concentration of pesticides in their urine. Researchers conclude that exposure to high concentrations of pesticides contributes to ADHD.
Bouchard mentions: "Previous studies have shown that exposure to some organophosphate compounds cause hyperactivity and cognitive deficits in animals. Our study found that exposure to organophosphates in developing children might have effects on neural systems and could contribute to ADHD behaviors, such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity."
ADHD affects around 5% of children and specialists say that more than half of them carry symptoms in adulthood.