Fwd: PANUPS: Children's Exposure
Sal (sals@rain.org)
Fri, 05 Jun 1998 17:19:15 -0700
>Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 14:25:59 -0700 (PDT)
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>From: panupdates@igc.apc.org
>Subject: PANUPS: Children's Exposure
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>June 5, 1998
>
>Pesticide Exposure May Impair Children's Brain Function
>
>Dramatic deficits in brain function are seen in rural
>children with long-term exposure to pesticides compared with
>children not similarly exposed, according to a recent study
>in Environmental Health Perspectives. The study compared two
>groups of four- and five-year-old children in the Yaqui
>Valley of Sonora, Mexico, a region and population that
>allowed researchers to compare groups of children who are
>very similar except in their levels of pesticide exposure.
>The children share a genetic and cultural background, eat the
>same foods and drink the same water.
>
>Thirty three of those studied live in the valley, a farming
>area where pesticide use is relatively intense. Farmers
>reported that two crops a year may be planted, with up to 45
>pesticide applications per crop. Organophosphates,
>organochlorines and pyrethroids are among the chemicals used,
>according to the study. In addition, household insecticides
>are usually applied each day throughout the year.
>Contamination of the local population has been documented,
>with women's breast milk containing concentrations of
>lindane, heptachlor, benzene hexachloride, aldrin and endrin
>all above limits established by the UN Food and Agricultural
>Organization.
>
>The second study group (17 children) live in the foothills,
>where most families are involved in ranching and pesticide
>use is minimal. Foothill residents use traditional methods of
>intercropping for pest control in gardens and rarely use
>insecticides indoors. Residents stated that their only
>exposure to pesticides is annual government spraying of DDT
>to combat malaria (this program is also carried out in the
>valley).
>
>Using a variety of games and tests, researchers evaluated
>gross motor coordination, stamina, spacial perception, short-
>term memory and fine eye-hand and motor coordination.
>Children who live in the valley had significantly less
>stamina and hand-eye coordination, poorer short-term memory
>and were less adept at drawing a person than were children in
>the foothills. For example, valley children were so much less
>capable of drawing a person than were foothill children that
>researchers investigated the possibility that the two groups
>had different levels of access to drawing materials or
>opportunities. Access was reported to be similar with the two
>groups -- some valley mothers stressed their own frustration
>in trying to teach their child how to draw.
>
>According to pediatrician Philip Landrigan of Mount Sinai
>Medical Center, the study raises "very important concerns
>about the toxic effects of pesticides on children's nervous
>systems." Bernard Weiss of the Department of Environmental
>Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine
>and Dentistry stated that the study highlights the need for
>more research. "It doesn't seem a surprise that you would see
>an effect, knowing what we know about pesticides and the
>elevated vulnerabilty of the developing brain."
>
>In carrying out the study, researchers used "rapid
>assessment" techniques, a method intended to determine fairly
>quickly whether a problem exists and to suggest possible
>avenues for further research. According to the study, the
>findings suggest that environmental factors have placed
>children of the agricultural area of the Yaqui Valley at a
>disadvantage for participating in normal childhood
>activities. The researchers recommend further study on a
>range of physiological and other questions regarding the
>health of Yaqui valley residents, and suggest that "rapid
>assessment" techniques proved valuable in making
>determinations without spending much time or money.
>
>Source: "An Anthropological Approach to the Evaluation of
>Preschool Children Exposed to Pesticides in Mexico."
>Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 106, Number 6, June
>1998.
>
>Contact: PANNA.
>
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>
>Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA)
>116 New Montgomery, #810, San Francisco, CA 94105
>Phone:(415) 541-9140
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