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Pesticides May Damage Developing Brain, Study Finds

Posted on: Friday, 24 October 2008, 11:26 CDT

Findings of a new study are prompting experts to call for tighter restrictions over the use of pesticides in the European Union.

Published on Friday, the study found that many pesticides currently being used in the European Union may damage brain growth in fetuses and young children.
The brains of fetuses and young children are more susceptible than the adult brain to disruptions from chemicals, researchers said.

"Because many of them are by design toxic to the brain of insects, it is very likely that they are also toxic to human brains," said Philippe Grandjean of the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark.

Researchers conducted of a review of almost 200 scientific reports worldwide about the brain and pesticides. The study focused on the use of pesticides in the 27-nation EU, which is currently reviewing pesticide laws.

"Laboratory experimental studies using model compounds suggest that many pesticides currently used in Europe...can cause neuro-developmental toxicity," Grandjean and two colleagues in Denmark wrote in the journal Environmental Health.

Manufacturers say their pesticides are safe for humans, but the study urges more testing and caution in approving chemicals because of uncertainties about their effects.

"Many other countries are watching what the EU is doing...It should take these matters much more seriously than in the past," Grandjean said. Many pesticides used in the EU are also used in other nations.

More than 25 percent of fruits, vegetables, and cereals contain detectable residues of at least two pesticides.

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On the Net:

• Harvard School of Public Health
• University of Southern Denmark

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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