Hello Listfolk, 6/6/98
FYI- Thought you might find this info relevant--
Namaste,
Linda Ray, Founder
Linda Ray Research
Email LINDARAY@worldnet.att.net
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject: PANUPS: Children's Exposure
> Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 14:25:59 -0700 (PDT)
> From: panupdates@igc.apc.org
> To: panups@igc.apc.org
>
> =====================================
> P A N U P S
> ***
> Pesticide Action Network
> North America
> Updates Service
> http://www.panna.org/panna/
> email panna@panna.org
> =====================================
>
> 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.
>
> ===========================================================
>
> Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA)
> 116 New Montgomery, #810, San Francisco, CA 94105
> Phone:(415) 541-9140
> Fax:(415) 541-9253
> Email: panna@panna.org
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> http://www.panna.org/panna/
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