Low IQ in Baby Because of Pesticides While Pregnant

Women who are pregnant should be careful to choose vegetables or fruits. High consumption of pesticides in vegetables and fruits during pregnancy can make baby born with lower IQ levels.

According to three studies, children born from mothers who are often exposed to certain pesticides during pregnancy had an IQ (Intelligence Quotient)  lower than his colleagues who are not exposed to pesticides in the womb.

Pesticides known as organophosphates commonly sprayed on crops and can be found in berries, green beans, fruits and other vegetables that are sold in stores.

Pesticides have also been used in homes and gardens, although the use of indoor (for indoors) has been widely restricted because of security concerns.

Organophosphates that kill pests by attacking the nervous system, previously has been associated with developmental delay and attention problems in children exposed in utero.

Now, researchers at two different locations have been found that the IQ of children tends to decrease proportionally due to pesticide exposure during pregnancy.

One study followed hundreds of mothers and children in California’s Latin Salinas Valley, center of commercial agriculture. Many women become farm workers or have family members who work in the fields.

When these women become pregnant, researchers tested their urine for several chemical products by using the standard organophosphate exposure measurement tool.

As a result, pregnant women exposed to pesticides have the highest rate of children at the age of 7 years with an IQ seven points lower than the average number of children whose mothers had very low exposure to pesticides (average is 100).

“It’s no different with the decline that we see in children exposed to high lead exposure,” explains senior author of the study, Brenda Eskenazi, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology and maternal and child health at the University of California, Berkeley, as reported by Health. com, on Tuesday (04/26/2011).

According to the study notes, organophosphates that ‘escape’ from mother to fetus through the placenta and umbilical cord, could be more damaging to fetal development rather than a direct exposure in children (who have been born).

Researchers said that similar trends can also be found outside the agricultural community. Pregnant women outside the farming community can also be exposed to pesticide levels ting of fruits and vegetables are eaten.

But Eskenazi stressed, however, pregnant women should not stop eating fruits and vegetables. “It’s really important that they (pregnant women) have an adequate diet in terms of their child’s health,” said Eskenazi. However, he added, is very important to wash fruits and vegetables, even in fruit that has skin. “Fruit and vegetables should still be washed before you peel it,” he said.

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