According to MNSBC, exposure to pesticides in the womb may harm a baby’s brain and hinder the child’s intelligence, say three new studies. All studies found a link between prenatal pesticide exposure and low IQ scores as well as other brain development issues. One study found children with the highest level of exposure in the womb scored 7 points lower on an IQ test than those who had a lower level of exposure.
A 7 point IQ drop is equivalent to a 7-year-old developing as if they were 6 ½ years old, said a professor of epidemiology and maternal and child health at the University of California. Dr. Brenda Eskenazi of Berkeley lead one of the studies.
The studies found that eating foods treated by pesticides is one way a fetus can be exposed to harmful chemicals. The findings do not appear to specify a region of country. Two studies were conducted in an urban area, while one was conducted in an agricultural and rural town in Northern California.
All three studies found a link but not a direct cause effect to pesticide exposure and intelligence. Pesticide use in the United States has gone down since last decade. Many of the women in the studies had their children at least 10 years ago. This means women having children today may not be exposing their children to the same amount of harmful chemicals than those in the study.
Doctors recommend that thorough washing of fruits and vegetables can reduce the amount of pesticide exposure and eating organic foods, which are grown without pesticides, can also limit exposure.
