Living Near Agriculture Increases Rates of Serious Health Problems
Compilation of the Scientific Research - by Chem-Tox.com, Updated July, 2019
Time to Move?
People living near farms growing food crops experience greatly increased rates of illness and health problems. This is the conclusion from the following report summarizing 35 peer reviewed medical studies on this topic over the past 30 years. Scientists believe the increased rates of chronic and fatal illness occur from pesticides applied to food crops which then evaporate into surrounding air for days and weeks after application. When exposure occurs to young children or during pregnancy, the amount of harm is shown to increase significantly.
Identified Health Problems from Living Near Farming
Fifteen medical conditions were found to occur at higher rates among families living close to agriculture. This included higher rates of birth defects, autism, infertility, miscarriage, Parkinson's, Alzheimers, higher rates of developmental brain damage to children and higher rates of child cancers including - leukemia, neuroblastoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and brain cancer. Immune system damage was demonstrated by observed higher rates of autoimmune disorders including arthritis, lupus and diabetes. Along with these disturbing trends, a June 2019 study conducted by University of California found higher rates of depression among adolescents living near areas of higher pesticide use.
In the next few paragraphs we'll provide a brief introduction regarding pesticides used in growing food crops and discuss the latest research on defenses humans have to protect from these chemicals. Of critical importance, we summarize how these defenses can become damaged and how some people have considerably weaker defenses than others. If you'd like to skip this background introduction and view the medical journal summaries - CLICK HERE
Also, of great concern (because of the rapid rise of diabetes, over the past 20 years), 21 studies presented at the 2015 European Association for the Study of Diabetes show pesticides increase the risk of diabetes by 61%. While our current report focuses on health disorders resulting from living near farming areas, it brings attention to the potential for elevated health problems to occur from mosquito control pesticides applied throughout neighborhoods using trucks and planes.. The situation may be further amplified in poorer communities in Africa and South America that receive highly concentrated levels of pesticides from back-pack spray techniques. Residences in poor areas typically do not have "closable" windows, thereby dramatically increasing exposure to family members. This entire report has been translated to Spanish which can be viewed HERE.
Why Illnesses are Higher Near Agriculture
The consensus of scientists is that increased health problems for those living within one mile of agriculture occur from low level pesticide vapors present in the air for days and sometimes weeks after application on food crops. Some pesticides react with sunlight (in a process known as photolysis) to form new chemicals that are even more toxic than the original pesticide. Adults and children inhale these chemical vapors at far higher concentrations compared to people living three or more miles from the fields.
Of great concern, health effects were seen not just for people living directly next to the agriculture fields - as some studies showed serious health effects for those living one and even 2 miles away. Continuous breathing of low levels of nerve poisons is suspected of accelerating the aging process by a number of processes that suppress or damage genes involved in maintaining health.
While this report emphasizes dangers to people living in homes close to agriculture, similar health effects would be expected for those residing in offices and schools within one and two miles of agriculture as well.
Some People Harmed Far More by Same Pesticide Exposure
The past 10 years has shown rapid progress in undersanding why some people experience far more harm than others from the same pesticide exposure. The human body has protective detoxification enzymes produced in the liver called cytochrome P-450 (CP-450). The job of CP-450 is to take toxic chemicals in the blood and convert them into a less toxic form. One of these CP-450 enzymes is known as paraoxonase. For example, once pesticides enter the blood after breathing vapors near farming (or eating conventional pesticide grown food), these enzymes work to break-down the chemical to a less toxic form. While the National Cancer Institute found that some people have 1/3rd lower levels of CP-450, more recent studies have shown some people have 90% less paraoxonase than others - thereby, setting up the potential for dramatically increased harm to that person. Of major concern to children, it has been shown they also experience greater harm because of their smaller size, increased respiration and less efficient detoxification pathways. Therefore, people having weakened defense would be expected to have higher levels of pesticides in their blood for longer periods of time, thereby giving more time for the poisonous chemicals to damage the body.
Brain's Defense Weakened
The human brain also has a defense that can be weakened. Known as the blood brain barrier, this defense system has the role of blocking toxic molecules from entering the brain cell network. Unfortunately, some pesticides have been found to damage the blood brain barrier. The barrier is composed of tight junctions between cells that line the interior blood vessels inside the brain. These tight-junctions (when working properly) prevent larger toxic molecules from squeezing-through and entering the brain cell network. There is also a metabolic blood brain barrier that helps to remove toxic chemicals getting past these tight junctions. As seen in two studies below, the blood brain barrier defense can be weakened or damaged by pesticides. When this occurs, elevated levels of poisons enter the brain resulting in accelerated damage to the brain. This situation takes on new meaning as new research shows that people with Epilepsy, Psychosis, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer's, do in fact, have a weakened blood brain barrier. These new findings raise the next question - Would removing someone with a neurological condition from an agricultural environment result in restored blood brain barrier function, and thereby, experience improvement in mental function? These are critical questions that must be answered by sources without a conflict of interest.
It is important to understand that pesticides are highly toxic nerve poisons intentionally designed to damage biological processes within living organisms, which is why even low levels over extended periods would be expected to cause harm and decreased function in cells and body defense mechanisms.
Health Disorders Occurring at Higher Rates Near Agriculture
Click link to view study or scroll down to view all research - VIEW SPANISH VERSION
Children Living Near Farms have Higher Levels of Pesticides in Urine & Blood - Evidence for Health Risk
SOURCE: Environmental Research, Volume 84(3):290-302, May, 2000
View Study Online or Download PDF
Children living under one quarter-mile from fruit orchard farms had 5 times higher levels of organophosphate pesticides in their bodies than children living farther away. This is of concern since organophosphate pesticides are known to damage the brain and immune system.. The study was conducted by the Department of Environmental Health, University of Washington.
109 children (ages 9 months to 6 years) from 75 families were tested for their exposure to pesticides. Children lived in areas with small family orchards that typically grow apples, cherries, pears and peaches. To determine pesticide exposure, samples were taken from urine, hand wipes and household dust.
The study consisted of 35 families who lived within 50 feet from a pesticide treated orchard - 12 families who lived between 50 and 200 feet and 4 families who lived between 200 feet and 1/4 mile from pesticide treated orchards. For comparison, pesticide levels were measured in 14 reference families who lived more than 1/4 mile from the pesticide treated orchards.
Results showed that families living within 1/4 mile from the orchards had house dust concentrations 7 times higher than found in the reference homes. Urine pesticide levels in children close to agriculture were 5 times higher than in children living more than 1/4 mile away. Children living within 200 feet of pesticide sprayed groves had the highest blood levels of pesticides and contaminated house dust.
The researchers concluded by stating:
These findings indicate that children living with parents who work with agricultural pesticides, or who live in proximity to pesticide-treated farmland, have higher exposures than do other children living in the same community.
Department of Environmental Health
School of Public Health & Community Medicine
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Adolescent Depression Higher Living Near Pesticides
SOURCE: International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, July, 2019
View Original Journal Article
Ecuador is the world's third-largest exporter of roses. Flowers are routinely sprayed with the same organophosphate pesticides used in agriculture. These chemicals are known to alter levels of an important brain neurotransmitter known as cholinesterase (abbreviated as AChE). Pesticides such as organophosphates and carbamates exert their toxicity by reducing AChE activity.
Scientists studied blood levels of AChE in 517 adolescents (ages 11-17y) who lived in an agricultural community in the Ecuadorian Andes. Results showed children who had lower AChE activity (suggesting greater exposure to pesticides), had significantly more symptoms of depression as measured using a standardized depression assessment tool. Symptoms of teen depression may include irritability, severe feelings of sadness, loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities and feelings of worthlessness or guilt. The association between pesticide levels and depression was stronger for girls and for all teens younger than 14 years of age.
According to lead researcher Suarez-Lopez,
"Agricultural workers and people in these communities have long offered anecdotal reports of a rise in adolescent depression and suicidal tendencies. This is the first study to provide empirical data establishing that link using a biological marker of exposure, and it points to a need for further study."
University of California
San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
Fundacion Cimas del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
Birth Defects Higher if 1 Mile from Agriculture
SOURCE: Epidemiology, Vol.12(2):148-156, March, 2001
View Original Journal Article
Pregnant mothers living less than 1 mile from agriculture experienced an increased risk of fetal death due to major birth defects. The study was conducted by the School of Public Health, University of North Carolina. The most important factor increasing fetal death rate was the timing of pesticide exposure. If pesticide exposure occurred between the 3rd and 8th week of pregnancy, there was a 40% increase in major birth defects ending in fetal death. If pesticide exposure was from halogenenated hydrocarbons, during the 3rd and 8th week, there was more than double the rate of death from birth defects. Organ and limb formation occurs in the developing child between weeks 3 and 8, and therefore, would be more vulnerable to the detrimental effects from pesticides..
Department of Epidemiology
School of Public Health,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Child Type-1 Diabetes Linked to Pesticides
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Toxicology, Vol. 2(6): 2012
View Journal Online
Download Detailed PDF - Gives details of report and suitable for printing and passing out for educational purposes.
Does eating food treated with chemical pesticides increase the rate of diabetes in children? A study done at Mansoura University Children's Hospital in Egypt suggests that food pesticides do in fact play a very significant role in the onset of child type-1 diabetes. The study consisted of 75 children who had been diagnosed with type-1 diabetes in the past 30 days - all children were under age 10. Blood samples were taken from these 75 children and also from 35 control children at the same hospital who did not have diabetes. Blood samples in both groups were then tested for nine different pesticides. This included the head-lice and farming pesticide lindane, the farming/food pesticides malathion and chlorpyrifos and also the farming pesticides DDT and its metabolite DDE. Most people assume DDT is no longer used in agriculture, but this is incorrect as many countries in Africa and South America still permit the pesticide and foods containing this chemical are routinely imported into Europe and the United States, especially during the winter months. Another source of DDT in foods comes from a little known fact that the legal pesticide dicofol (routinely used on Florida and California citrus) contains DDT as an unintended by-product during manufacture.
By comparing the blood pesticide test results between children with and without diabetes, doctors could easily see if a pattern exists. For example, if pesticide levels were the same in both groups, it suggests that pesticides do not harm the body in a way that increases diabetes. However, if pesticide levels were higher in children with diabetes, we then begin painting a picture that eating conventionally grown pesticide foods, living near agriculture or using pesticides in the home, may very well be a major contributing factor to the childhood diabetes epidemic
Below are the results of the tests, and as can be seen, there was a very strong association found between child diabetes and blood pesticide levels - suggesting that eating conventionally grown food increases the rate of diabetes in children. All measurements are in what is called nanograms per milliliter of blood
1. Healthy children had no measurable levels of the pesticide lindane,
.......Children with diabetes had a level of 0.54
2. Healthy children had no measurable levels of the pesticide DDT,
.......Children with diabetes had levels of 0.20
3. Healthy children had no measurable levels of the pesticide DDE,
.......Children with diabetes had levels of 0.37
The same pattern was seen with the common pesticides chlorpyrifos and malathion.
4. Healthy children had chlorpyrifos levels of .02,
.......Children with diabetes had levels of .24.Therefore, children with type-1 diabetes had 12 times higher levels of this common pesticide.
The same pattern was also seen for the pesticide malathion.
Healthy non-diabetic children had malathion levels averaging .03,
but children with diabetes had malathion blood levels 15 times higher at .54.
When using these numbers to determine increased risk from the pesticides, the researchers found that children with high levels of malathion in their blood had a 4 times greater risk of developing diabetes than children with low levels of malathion.
In a related study described below, researchers found that switching to organic food resulted in a dramatic drop in malathion levels in children. When results of both of these studies are viewed together, it provides strong support for the importance of switching to a 100% organic diet for the 38% of the U.S. population with pre-diabetes and also for children with newly diagnosed with type-1 diabetes.
Also, of concern, children living near farming areas can receive considerably higher levels of pesticide exposure as these same pesticides are sprayed on food crops.
Rania H Abdel Rahman
Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department
Mansoura University, 101 Gomhouria St., Mansoura, Egypt
Eating Organic Lowers Blood Pesticide Levels in Children
SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives, 114(2): 260-263, Feb 2006
View Journal Online
As found in the above study, children with diabetes had considerably higher blood levels of several types of pesticides when compared to children who did not have diabetes. In this study, researchers found that when children switched to eating only organic food (foods grown without pesticides), the levels of pesticides in their bodies dropped dramatically.
Conducted in part by the Centers for Disease Control, scientists studied the effects of eating organic (non-pesticide) food among 23 elementary school children ages 3 to 11. Each child was tested daily for pesticide levels over 15 consecutive days. During the first 5 days (called phase 1) - children consumed their typical (pesticide) food diets. During phase 2 (days 6 to 10) - children ate only organic foods. In phase 3 (days 11 to 15), all children switched back to eating conventional foods grown with pesticides.
RESULTS: After switching from the chemically grown to organic foods during phase 2, all children showed a dramatic drop in levels of the pesticides chlorpyrifos and malathion (see chart above). Average levels of malathion metabolites was approximately 1.2 micrograms per liter (of urine) while eating conventional foods, but after switching to organic foods, it dropped to about less then 0.1 micrograms/liter. This represents a 12-fold decrease in pesticide levels in children. For the pesticide chlorpyrifos (which has been linked to many health disorders affecting the brain and weakening of the immune system), levels were approximately 6 micrograms/liter on conventional foods and then dropped to 2 micrograms per liter after eating organic (a 3-fold reduction). Both malathion and chlorpyrifos are used extensively in agriculture with chlorpyrifos also being used in home pest and termite control prior to 2002.
In conclusion, the researchers stated,
We were able to demonstrate that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to organophosphorus pesticides that are commonly used in agricultural production....The persistent existence of OP pesticide metabolites in urine during the conventional diet periods raises a concern of the possible chronic exposures to OP pesticides in children.
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
CHEM-TOX COMMENT: It is important that people realize that so-called safe levels of exposure are based upon studies done on "adults." Children have far lower levels of important liver enzymes that remove pesticides from the blood (i.e. paraoxonase) and this level can vary dramatically from one child to the next.. Therefore, children have pesticides remain in their blood for longer periods and at higher levels than adults. Also, critics of this study (such as those funded by agricultural interests) do not take into account that EPA guidelines on pesticide safety consider only at one pesticide at a time, however, children (and all of us) are exposed to many pesticides in food simultaneously. This has been shown to result in far more harm than one pesticide alone, and can sometimes result in an exponential effect (1+1=100). Also, current EPA pesticide safety guidelines do not consider what is called subtle neurotoxicity (effects on learning/behavior) - subtle immune system effects (increased autoimmunity - lowering of white blood count - natural killer cell effects, etc.). The bottom line is that pesticides are designed specifically to kill - and our children are being exposed to small levels of these continuously in food. A follow-up study now needs to be done to determine if natural killer cells and autoimmunity are affected by these levels of pesticides.
Respiratory Birth Defects Higher in Babies Near Agriculture
SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 111(9):1259-1264, July, 2003
View Original Journal Article
Babies born to families living near wheat farming areas using chemical pesticides were found to have a 65% greater risk of having birth defects related to the circulatory/respiratory system. The pesticide category believed to be the culprit is known as chlorophenoxy herbicides that contain the chemical 2,4-D. Chlorophenoxy herbicides are used to kill a variety of weeds and are also commonly used by city and county maintenance departments for grass and weed control along roads, canals etc. Other conclusions of the study found there was more than double an increase in respiratory/circulatory birth defects in babies if heart malformations were excluded. When looking at musculoskeletal/intergumental anomalies for both sexes in the high-wheat growing counties, there was a 50% increased risk of these types of defects. Infant deaths for male babies (from congenital anomalies related to the birth defects) was over 2.5 times higher than normal. Scientists also found that infants conceived from April-June (the time of primary pesticide application) had a 75% increased risk of being diagnosed with birth defects - compared to birth defect rates for conception during other times of the year. In conclusion, the scientists stated:
"These results are especially of concern because
of widespread use of chlorophenoxy herbicides."
Dina M. Schreinemachers
National Health and Environmental effects Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Brain Cancer Rates Higher if Living Near Agriculture
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 86(9):1289-96, 1996
View Original Journal Article
High brain cancer rates were found for people living near a cranberry agricultural growing area in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health compared the home locations of approximately 1000 cancer patients to the home locations of 1000 patients dying of illnesses not related to cancer. Results showed that living within 2600 feet of the cranberry growing area resulted in twice the risk for all brain cancers and nearly a 7-fold increased risk for a type of brain cancer known as astrocytoma. (Astrocytomas are in the family of "glioma" cancers which begin in the glial tissue (glial tissue are the cells which hold the other brain cells together).
For more information on brain cancer and neuroblastoma see:
www.chem-tox.com/cancerchildren - brain cancer research summaries
www.chem-tox.com/neuroblastoma - neuroblastoma research summaries
Drs. A. Aschengrau, D. Ozonoff, P.Coogan, R. Vezina, T. Heeren
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Boston University School of Public Health
Autism (ASD) 7x Higher in Children Living Near Agriculture
SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(10): 1482-1489, 2007
View Original Article in Environmental Health Perspectives
View Video of this Study
Rates for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were more than 6 times higher for children whose mothers were exposed to certain pesticides during a specific time-window in pregnancy. 465 children were identified with ASD in the Sacramento River Valley and San Joaquin River Valley air basin of California. Residences were identified and proximity to pesticide sprayed farms was determined through state mandated agriculture pesticide use reporting files. Results showed that the risk of having a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder was 7.6 times higher than normal if certain conditions were present. This included:
| 1. | Homes were located within 500 meters (< 1/3 mile) from pesticide treated fields |
| 2. | Crops were treated using the pesticides dicofol and endosulfan |
| 3. | Pesticides applied between week 1 and week 8 after conception |
Further support for these findings is shown by the fact that the risk of ASD increased with the pounds of pesticide used and decreased with distance from the treated fields.
CHEM-TOX COMMENT: Also of significance, the human brain begins growing at over 4,000 cells per second beginning in the 4th week of pregnancy, thereby suggesting this would be a highly vulnerable time period.
Eric Roberts, Paul English, Judith Grether, Galye Windham,
Lucia Somberg, Craig Wolff
Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, USA
California Department of Health Services, Richmond, CA
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA
Autism and Developmental Delays Higher in Children Living Near Agriculture
SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(10), October 2014
Study funded by National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences & U.S. EPA
View Original Journal Article
Read Summary of Article in Environmental Health News
Living within 1 mile of food crops grown using pesticides was shown to result in a higher rate of autism and developmental disorders in children. The background statement of this research states exposure to several common agricultural pesticides during pregnancy can induce developmental neurotoxicity in humans, and has been associated with developmental delay and autism. The researchers involved in this study evaluated whether residential proximity to agricultural pesticides during pregnancy was associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or developmental delay (DD) in the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment (CHARGE) study.
The study included 970 participants, commercial pesticide application data from the California Pesticide Use Report (1997–2008) were linked to the addresses during pregnancy. Pounds of active ingredient applied for organophosphates, organochlorines, pyrethroids, and carbamates were aggregated within 1.25-km, 1.5-km, and 1.75-km buffer distances from the home. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of exposure comparing confirmed cases of ASD (n = 486) or DD (n = 168) with typically developing referents (n = 316).
Results: Approximately one-third of CHARGE study mothers lived, during pregnancy, within 1.5 km (just under 1 mile) of an agricultural area treated with pesticides. Proximity to organophosphates at some point during gestation was associated with a 60% higher risk for ASD, higher for third-trimester exposures (OR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.1, 3.6), and second-trimester chlorpyrifos applications (OR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.5, 7.4). Children of mothers residing near pyrethroid insecticide applications just before conception or during third trimester were at greater risk for both ASD and DD, with ORs ranging from 1.7 to 2.3. Risk for DD was increased in those near carbamate applications, but no specific vulnerable period was identified.
Conclusions: This study of ASD strengthens the evidence linking neurodevelopmental disorders with gestational pesticide exposures, particularly organophosphates, and provides novel results of ASD and DD associations with, respectively, pyrethroids and carbamates.
Department of Public Health Sciences (University of California, Davis)
Division of General Medicine, Department of Pediatrics,
School of Medicine, Univ. California
Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Miscarriage Rates Higher Near Agriculture
SOURCE: Epidemiology, March 2001
View Article Summary in "SCIENCE"
The risk of fetal death from birth defects is higher for those living near farming areas. This was the conclusion of a study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study, which involved almost 700 women in 10 California counties, showed that pregnant mothers who lived near food crops where certain pesticides were sprayed faced significantly increased rates of miscarriage due to birth defects.
To break this down further - Women who lived within 2 miles of a place where halogenenated pesticides were used during the first 2 months of pregnancy (when fetal organs are formed), were more than twice as likely to have a miscarriage caused by fetal defects. Other common pesticides (organophosphates and carbamates), raised the risk of miscarriage by 40%.
According to the scientists,
Our study showed a consistent pattern with respect to timing of exposure," said Dr. Erin Bell, who earned her doctorate with the research at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Public Health. "The largest risks for fetal death due to birth defects were from pesticide exposure during the third week to the eighth week of pregnancy."The risks appeared to be strongest among pregnant women who lived in the same square mile where pesticides were used," she said.
"This is the first study to our knowledge of pesticides and pregnancy in which exposures were in close proximity to the subjects and the verification of pesticide use was objective, not relying on people's memories of what they might have been exposed to," Hertz-Picciotto said.
Erin Bell (Ph.D.)
University of North Carolina
School of Public Health
Brain Defense Damaged by all 3 Classes of Pesticides
Links to Epilepsy, Psychosis, Alzheimer's & Parkinson's
View Original Journal Article
The human brain is protected from harm by a defense system known as the blood brain barrier. The first stage of the blood brain barrier is made from exceptionally "tight-junctions" between cells that line the blood vessels supplying nutrients to the brain. These tight-junctions prevent larger toxic molecules from squeezing-through and entering the brain cell network. Unfortunately, the tight-junctions can become "lose" after exposure to some chemicals in the environment - thereby, allowing toxic chemicals into the brain cell network resulting in elevated damage to the brain. Chemicals now being found to damage the blood brain barrier take on new interest as research over the past decade has found defects in blood brain barrier function in people with Psychosis(1), Epilepsy(2), Alzheimer's(3) and Parkinson's Disease(4).
In this 1999 research, scientists exposed 10 day old rat pups to three separate pesticides. This included quinalphos (an organophosphate pesticide) - cypermethrin (a pyrethroid pesticide) and the chemical Lindane (an organochlorine pesticide). Exposure levels were 1/50th the amount that would kill 50% of the animals. To determine if the pesticides were damaging the blood brain barrier, animals were injected with a radioactive tracer. Normally, the tracer would be blocked by the blood brain barrier and not enter the brain. However, 2 hours after exposure to the pesticides, the tracer had entered the brain, thereby demonstrating blood brain barrier dysfunction. The three pesticides had disrupted blood brain barrier permeability by 130, 80, and 50% respectively. Defects in blood brain barrier function was also seen at exposure levels of only 1/100th the amount needed to kill 50% of the animals. Of significant interest, 15 day old rat pups had less barrier damage than the 10 day old rat pups. Adult rats showed no evidence of blood brain barrier damage whatsoever. Extrapolating these results to humans, we would then expect younger children to receive far more harm from pesticide exposure than adolescents or adults. Unfortunately, allowable levels of pesticide exposure are currently set from research done with healthy adult animals.
1. British Journal of Psychiatry Volume 141(3):273-281, September, 1982
2. Epilepsia, Volume 47(11):1761-1774, November, 2006
3. Neurobiology of Aging, Volume 28(7):977-986, July, 2007
4. Annals of Neurology, Volume 57:176–179,
2005
Predictive Toxicology Research Group
Industrial Toxicology Research Center
Lucknow, India
Parkinson's Disease Higher in Agricultural Areas
SOURCE: Biochem Soc Trans, 29(2):81-4, 2000
View Original Journal Article
BACKGROUND: In the last two decades reports from different countries emerged associating pesticide and herbicide use with Parkinson's disease (PD). California growers use approximately 250 million pounds of pesticides annually, about a quarter of all pesticides used in the US.
METHODS: The scientists in this study employed a proportional odds mortality design to compare all cases of PD recorded as underlying causes of death (1984-1994) or associated causes of death (1984-1993) occurring in California with all deaths from ischaemic heart disease (ICD-9 410-414) during the same period. Based on pesticide use report data, scientists divided California counties into several pesticide use categories. Agricultural census data allowed them to create measures of percentage of land per county treated with pesticides. Employing logistic regression models, the scientists estimated the effect of pesticide use controlling for age, gender, race, birthplace, year of deaths, and education. RESULTS: Mortality from PD as the underlying cause of death was higher in agricultural pesticide-use counties than in non-use counties. A dose response was observed for insecticide use per county land treated when using 1982 agricultural census data, but not for amounts of restricted pesticides used or length of residency in a country prior to death.
CONCLUSIONS: Data shows an increased Parkinson's Disease mortality in California counties using agricultural pesticides.
Ritz B, Yu F
Department of Epidemiology
Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
School of Public Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA.
Parkinson's Disease Linked to Pesticide Combination
SOURCE: Journal of Neuroscience, 20(24):9207, December 15, 2000
View Original Journal Article
A combination of two commonly used agricultural pesticides, are showing the ability to cause the same pattern of brain damage seen in Parkinson's disease. Mice exposed to the weed killer paraquat and the fungicide maneb showed clear signs of Parkinson's, a progressive and incurable brain illness, according to Deborah Cory-Slechta and colleagues at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. What is interesting about this study is that neither chemical alone works to create the distinctive pattern of brain damage. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that exposure to chemicals such as pesticides may at least contribute to the brain damage seen in Parkinson's.
"No one has looked at the effects of studying together some of these compounds that, taken by themselves, have little effect. This has enormous implications," Cory-Slechta said in a statement. Dr. Eric Richfield, a neurologist who worked on the study, said it may mean that no one will ever be able to predict who is at risk of Parkinson's based on exposure to chemicals.
Parkinson's disease, which affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States alone, is a progressive and incurable disease that involves the destruction of brain cells that produce dopamine, an important message-carrying chemical linked with movement. Patients start out with tremors and can become paralyzed and die. There is no cure and treatments can delay the disease for a while but eventually stop working. Perhaps the best-known patient is Pope John Paul II, whose doctor admitted on Wednesday the pontiff had the disease. Actor Michael J. Fox also has Parkinson's, and boxer Muhammad Ali has symptoms of the disease. Researchers suspect that a combination of genetic vulnerability and exposure to something in the environment may be responsible. One major suspect is organophosphate pesticides, which are known to affect the nervous system.
Writing in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, Cory-Slechta's team said they studied the effects of a mixture of paraquat and maneb. Both are used on millions of acres of crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, corn, soybeans, cotton and fruit.
Mice exposed to one or the other alone showed no ill effects, but when the combination was given they showed clear patterns of brain damage. The mice moved around much less than normal and had lower levels of an enzyme known as tyrosine hydroxylase that is used as a measure of the health of the dopamine system. The mice had nearly four times as many "reactive astrocytes,'' brain cells that suggest they are damaged, they had about 15 percent fewer dopamine neurons, and they produced 15 percent less dopamine than normal mice.
University of Rochester School of Medicine
Alzheimers Rates Higher Near Farmland
SOURCE: Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology
Vol. 256(3):379-85, Nov, 2011
View Original Journal Article
As research studies continue to confirm low-level pesticide exposure increases neurological disorders in adults, researchers at the University of Almeria in Spain wanted to get more details on pesticide exposure as related to specific types of adult neurological disorders.
Researchers began by documenting the average prevalence (percentage) rates of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral degeneration, polyneuropathies, affective psychosis and suicide attempts in selected Andalusian health districts in Spain (Andalusia is a region of hills and farmland located on Spain's southern coast). Each geographic area was categorized as being either high or low pesticide exposure and based on the acreage of farmland devoted to intensive agriculture and pesticide sales per capita.
A total of 17,429 cases were collected from computerized hospital records between 1998 and 2005. Results showed that the likelihood of having Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and suicide were significantly higher in districts with greater pesticide use as compared to those with lower pesticide use.
People living in areas with high pesticide use had an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and suicide attempts and males living in these areas had increased risks for polyneuropathies, affective disorders and suicide attempts.
In conclusion, this study supports and extends previous findings and provides an indication that environmental exposure to pesticides may affect human health by increasing the incidence of certain neurological disorders at the level of the general population.
Department of Neurosciences and Health Sciences
University of Almeria
Almeria, Spain
Pesticide Vapors Present Days/Weeks after Application
Source: Pest Control Technology Magazine, pg. 44, August 1987
In research to determine the amount of air contamination following application of pesticides, it was found that the levels of the pesticide Dursban drop to one-sixth of its original 1 hour level four days after application. Dursban was previously used as a common indoor and lawn pesticide but because of research finding damage to the immune system, it was banned and is now only allowed in agriculture (under the name Lorsban). Unfortunately, families living near agriculture could receive significantly higher exposure levels depending on size of farming areas and wind direction.
Immune System Damage from Agriculture Pesticide Mix
SOURCE: Aquatic Toxicology, 67(1):33-43, March 30, 2004
View Original Journal Article
The dangers of pesticides are typically calculated by looking at only one pesticide at a time. However, this is not what occurs in real life situations for people working around pesticides or families living in homes within 1/2 to 1 mile of farming areas. For example, On one day, pesticide "A" can be applied - and the next day pesticide "B." Some pesticides emit vapors for weeks after application. Others have been found to react with sunlight, and through a process known as photolysis, form even more toxic compounds. In this study, researchers investigated the effects of a combination of six common pesticides used in agriculture. This included atrazine, metribuzine, endosulfan, lindane, aldicarb and dieldren. The concentrations of these chemicals were equal to what is typically found in the environment of the southwest region of the province of Quebec. The purpose of the study was to determine how the pesticide combination affected the immune systems of two amphibian frog species. Results showed that the combination caused a reduction in the ability of certain immune system cells to "engulf" (consume) pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi) and slowed the immune system's ability to multiply cells needed for removing pathogens. In conclusion, the researchers stated,
Taken together, these results indicate that agricultural pesticides can alter some aspects of the immune response in frogs and could contribute to their global decline by rendering them more susceptible to certain infections.
Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Child Brain Development Harmed by Agriculture Pesticide Chlorpyrifos (Lorsban)
SOURCE: Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 134(1):53-62, 1995
View Original Journal Summary
View Original Journal Article (PDF)
Chem-To Comment: While the pesticide chlorpyrifos was banned for indoor use in 2000 (under the name Dursban), it is still used in agriculture under the name Lorsban. This results in high exposure for families living near agriculture. Lorsban is used frequently in citrus agriculture in Florida and California.
The following research was conducted at the Department of Pharmacology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. The first paragraph below is the abstract taken from the original research article:
Researchers administered chlorpyrifos to neonatal rats in apparently subtoxic doses that caused no mortality and little or no weight deficits and examined developing brain regions (cerebellum, fore-brain, brain stem) for signs of interference with cell development. One day old rats given 2 mg/kg of chlorpyrifos showed significant inhibition of DNA synthesis in all brain regions within 4 hours of treatment; equivalent results were obtained when a small dose (0.6 ug) was introduced directly into the brain via intracisternal injection, indicating that the actions were not secondary to systemic toxicity. Inhibition of DNA synthesis was also seen at 8 days of age; however, at this point, there was regional selectivity, with sparing of the cerebellum... These results indicate that low doses of chlorpyrifos target the developing brain during the critical period in which cell division is occurring, effects which may produce eventual cellular, synaptic, and behavioral aberrations after repeated or prolonged subtoxic exposures."
In summary the researchers stated,
In extrapolating findings in the developing rat brain to man, it is important to note that the first 10 days of postnatal life in the rat represent stages of neurodevelopment corresponding to the last trimester of gestation in man; thus, our finding of a much greater sensitivity to chlorpyrifos in the neonate, in terms of both systemic toxicity and targeting of DNA and protein synthesis within the brain, emphasize the need for caution in assigning safety standards. Further study of acute and chronic exposure to chlorpyrifos should be undertaken to evaluate the cellular, synaptic, and behavioral consequences of low-level exposures.
K. D. Whitney, F. J. Seidler, T.A. Slotin
Department of Pharmacology
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina
Home Pesticides Increase Risk of Leukemia in Children
SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 79(1) July 1987
View Original Journal Article
Children who live in homes where indoor or outdoor pesticides are used face a far greater chance of developing leukemia (leukemia is a cancer in which exceptionally high levels of blood cells are formed in the blood). The study, published in July's 1987 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, studied 123 Los Angeles children with leukemia and 123 children without the malignancy. The results showed the children living in the pesticide treated homes had nearly 4 times greater risk of developing the disease. If the children lived in homes where pesticides were used in the garden as well, the risk of developing leukemia was 6.5 times greater. All of the children in the study were 10 years of age or younger.
CHEM-TOX COMMENT: Although this study measured risk for only home and lawn use of the chemical, families living in close proximity to farming areas could potentially be exposed to significantly higher levels of the chemical.
Dr. John Peters
University of Southern California
Pesticide Inhalation Associated with Brain and Lung Cancer
SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 71(1), July 1983
View Original Journal Article
A study of 3,827 Florida pesticide applicators employed for 20 or more years found they had nearly 3 times the risk for developing lung cancer. The same study also showed the pesticide applicators had twice the risk for brain cancer. There was not any increased cancer risk when applicators were studied for only 5 years implying it takes over 5 years to accumulate enough damage to the genetic structure to develop the cancers.
Kidney Cancer (Wilms' Tumor) Higher in Children
SOURCE: British Journal of Cancer, 77(5):825-829, March 1998
View Original Journal Article
A type of kidney cancer known as Wilms' tumor occurred nearly 60% higher than expected in children whose fathers worked around pesticides. Job occupations included farmers, agricultural workers, agricultural machinery drivers, gardeners and foresters. Wilms' tumor is a type of kidney cancer that is the fourth most common childhood cancer, accounting for approximately 6% of all malignancies diagnosed before 15 years of age). Child exposure can occur from pesticides on the father being inhaled and transferred to the child.
Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Oxford
Leukemia Research Fund, Center for Clinical Epidemiology, University of Leeds
Brain's Defense Damaged from Agriculture Weed Killer
Link to Epilepsy, Psychosis, Parkinson's & Alzheimer's
SOURCE: Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology, Vol. 65(1), Aug. 1982, Pg. 23-31
View Original Journal Article
The human brain is protected from harm by a defense system known as the blood brain barrier. The first stage of the blood brain barrier is made from exceptionally "tight-junctions" between cells that line the blood vessels supplying nutrients to the brain. These tight-junctions prevent larger toxic molecules from squeezing-through and entering the brain cell network. Unfortunately, the tight-junctions can become "lose" after exposure to some chemicals in the environment - thereby, allowing toxic chemicals into the brain cell network with potential for causing elevated damage to the brain. Chemicals now being found to damage the blood brain barrier take on new interest as research over the past decade has found defects in blood brain barrier function in people with Psychosis (1), Epilepsy (2), Alzheimer's (3) and Parkinson's Disease (4).
One of several compounds found to weaken and damage the blood brain barrier is the chlorophenoxy herbicide MCPA. This pesticide is used to kill broad leaf weeds and is used when growing alfalfa, barley, clover, flax, lespedeza, oats, grass, peas, rice, rye, sorghum, trefoil, triticale, and wheat. It is also used on sod farm turf, golf courses, public walkways, pastures, rangelands and residential lawns. EPA estimates that 4.6 million pounds of MCPA are used each year in agricultural and residential applications.
To determine if the weed killer could damage the blood brain barrier, rats were given single doses of MCPA at 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg at various intervals before sacrifice. A blue dye was injected into the animals to determine if staining occurred to the brain. Staining occurs when the blood brain barrier is not working properly (as a properly working barrier would block the dye from entering the brain). Blood brain barrier damage was observed with the 250 and 500 mg/kg doses. Most severe damage occurred 4.5 hr after administration of 250 mg/kg MCPA. After approximately 24 hours, no evidence of blue dye could be observed.
1. British Journal of Psychiatry Volume 141(3):273-281, September, 1982
2. Epilepsia, Volume 47(11):1761-1774, November, 2006
3. Neurobiology of Aging, Volume 28(7):977-986, July, 2007
4. Annals of Neurology, Volume 57:176–179,
2005
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Tampere,
Box 607, SF-33101 Tampere 10, Finland
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Linked to Agricultural Pesticide
SOURCE: Epidemiology: 1(5):349-56, September, 1990
View Original Journal Article
Men who mixed or applied the weed killer 2,4-D experienced a 50% higher rate of the cancer known as Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (also called NHL). The risk of NHL was dose-dependent and increased with the frequency of use of the pesticide. For example, men who were exposed to the weed killer 20 or more days per year had over a 3 times greater chance of developing the disease. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is the name given to a group of blood cell cancers that develop from lymphatic cells within the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are oval or bean shape structures that range in size from 1/16th up to 1 inch and located under the arm pits, stomach and many other areas in the body. Lymph nodes contain high concentrations of immune system cells which can attack and eliminate bacteria, viruses and even cancer cells. The image at left shows a lymph node that has become cancerous resulting in uncontrolled growth of lymphatic cells inside the lymph node.
CHEM-TOX COMMENTS: Of significant concern regarding 2,4-D, it contains the chemical Dioxin (TCDD) as a contaminant. Dioxin has been found to weaken the immune system of mammals at extremely low levels (parts per billion). The incidence rate of NHL has been rising 3-4% a year. In the United States, the annual incidence rate for NHL was 5.9 per 100,000 people in 1950 - In 1975, it had risen to 9.3 per 100,000 people. By 1989 it had reached 13.7 per 100,000. (This was reported in the Annals of Oncology, Vol. 5(1):S19-S24, 1994). After 1989 it had risen further and is currently at approximately 20 new cases per 100,000 people (more than 3 times the rate as in 1950). According to researchers Devesa and Fears at the the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, the incidence rates for NHL have increased at about 3-4% per year (Cancer Research, 1;52(Suppl 19):5432s-5440s, October, 1992).
Autoimmune Disorders from Chlorpyrifos (Lorsban)
SOURCE: Archives of Environmental Health, 48(2):89-93, March/April 1993
View Original Journal Article
The chemical chlorpyrifos (Lorsban) is commonly used in agriculture as an insecticide. In 2000, it was banned for indoor use after being linked with a variety of health disorders, however, it is still permitted in agriculture settings. In a study by the Department of Health Science at California State University, 12 individuals, which included a teacher, six housewives, a retail owner, a musician and an engineer, were studied for 1 to 4.5 years after they became ill when their home or place of employment was treated with the pesticide. The researchers were investigating for any abnormalities in immune system function. Immediately following each patient's exposure to the pesticide, common complaints included an initial flu-like illness followed by chronic complaints of fatigue, headaches, dizziness, loss of memory, upper and lower respiratory symptoms, joint and muscle pain and gastrointestinal disturbances. The subjects were found to have an elevated number of CD26 cells and a higher rate of autoimmune problems, compared with two other control groups. (Autoimmune disorders occur when the person's own immune system mistakenly makes antibodies which attack their own body.) Auto-antibodies were found toward smooth muscle, parietal cell, brush border, thyroid gland, myelin, and ANA. 83% of the pesticide exposed people were found to have auto-antibodies in their blood, in comparison to only 15% for non-pesticide exposed control group. 50% of the pesticide exposed people were also found to have two or more auto-antibodies in comparison to only 4% for the non-exposed group.
In conclusion the researchers stated,
The presence of several different types of auto-antibodies, e.g., antimyelin, anti-smooth muscle, anti brush boarder, and anti-microsomal, indicates that generalized tissue injury has occurred. Moreover, these identical observations have been made in additional chlorpyrifos patients (research in progress). Thus, chlorpyrifos (Dursban), as used in pesticide spray, should be examined more closely as a probable immunotoxin.
Jack D. Thrasher Ph.D., Roberta Madison, Alan Broughton
Department of Health Science, California State University
Arthritis & Lupus Linked to Agricultural Pesticides
SOURCE: Arthritis Care & Research, February 2011
View Original Journal Article
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks a person's healthy tissue including the heart, lungs and brain. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks tissues of the joints. Dr. Christine G Parks of the National Institute of Environmental Health studied health reports from nearly 77,000 women participating in the Women's Health Initiative. The strongest association between pesticides and these autoimmune disorders appeared in women who lived on a farm and reported personally applying pesticides.
Dr. Christine G. Parks
National Institute of Environmental Health
Neuroblastoma Linked to Homes Treated with Pesticides
SOURCE: Epidemiology: 12(1):20-26, January, 2001
View Original Journal Article
Although this study ws done regarding home pesticide use, we are including it as it is related to pesticide exposure and could be applied to an agricultural setting.
One of the largest studies to date has found that pesticide use around the home can more than double the chance of a child developing neuroblastoma.
Neuroblastoma accounts for approximately 10% of all childhood tumors. There are 550 new cases in the United States each year, with an annual incidence rate of 9.2 cases per million children under 15 years of age. This works out to approximately 1 per 100,000 children under age 15 on a national level. (These rates were reported in the book "Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology, Lippincott-Raven, 1997). Neuroblastoma is a very serious cancer as approximately 60% of children over age 1 who develop neuroblastoma do not live more than 3 years even when receiving treatments of radiation and chemotherapy. Children under age 1 have a more positive prognosis. As statistics show that neuroblastoma rates have increased over the past 50 years, it is reasonable to assume environmental factors are involved.
One of the largest collaborative efforts among 7 Universities and medical facilities worked together to determine what extent pesticide use in the home could increase child neuroblastoma rates. 390 neuroblastoma children and 460 non-cancer controls were included in the study. Investigators questioned both parents regarding use of pesticides in and around the home.
Results showed that using pesticides in and around the home resulted in a 60% increased likelihood of children developing the disease (Odds Ratio=1.6). Looking at pesticide use for the lawn and garden resulted in an increased risk of 120% (Odds Ratio=2.2) when the mother had applied pesticides in the yard and 50% higher (Odds Ratio=1.5) when the father had applied pesticides in the yard. (Chem-Tox Note: Outdoor pesticides are much different from indoor pesticides as they include fungicides and herbicides some of which have been reported to contain dioxin).
Julie L. Daniels, Andrew F. Olshan, Kay Teschke, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Dave A. Savitz, Julie Blatt, Melissa L. Bondy, Joseph P. Neglia, Brad H. Pollock, Susan L. Cohn, A. Thomas Look, Robert C. Seeger, Robert P. Castleberry
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, University of British Columbia, University of Texas, University of Minnesota, University of Florida, Northwestern University, Department of Experimental Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and University of Alabama
Immune System Problems & Agricultural Pesticide Lorsban
SOURCE: Archives of Environmental Health, 48(2):89-93, March/April 1993
View Original Journal Article
The pesticide chlorpyrifos (called Lorsban in agriculture) is showing evidence of causing immune system disorders in people. In a study by the Department of Health Science at California State University, 12 individuals, which included a teacher, six housewives, a retail owner, a musician and an engineer, were studied for 1 to 4.5 years after they became ill when their home or place of employment was treated with the pesticide. The researchers were investigating for any abnormalities in immune system function. Immediately following each patient's exposure to the pesticide, common complaints included an initial flu-like illness followed by chronic complaints of fatigue, headaches, dizziness, loss of memory, upper and lower respiratory symptoms, joint and muscle pain and gastrointestinal disturbances. The subjects were found to have an elevated number of CD26 cells and a higher rate of autoimmune problems, compared with two other control groups. (Autoimmune disorders occur when the person's own immune system mistakenly makes antibodies which attack their own body.) Autoantibodies were found toward smooth muscle, parietal cell, brush border, thyroid gland, myelin, and ANA. 83% of the pesticide exposed people were found to have auto-antibodies in their blood, in comparison to only 15% for non-exposed control group. 50% of the pesticide exposed people were also found to have two or more auto-antibodies in comparison to only 4% for the non-exposed group.
In conclusion the researchers stated,
"The presence of several different types of auto-antibodies, e.g., antimyelin, anti-smooth muscle, anti brush boarder, and anti-microsomal, indicates that generalized tissue injury has occurred. Moreover, these identical observations have been made in additional chlorpyrifos patients (research in progress). Thus, chlorpyrifos (Lorsban), as used in pesticide spray, should be examined more closely as a probable immunotoxin."
Jack D. Thrasher Ph.D., Roberta Madison, Alan Broughton
Department of Health Science, California State University
Hydrocephaly & Cleft Palet Linked to Agriculture Fungicide
SOURCE: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination Toxicology, 54:363-369, 1995
View Original Journal Article
Of the many different types of pesticides (which include insecticides, herbicides and fungicides), it was found that the common fungicide "cyproconazole" caused serious defects when administered to test animals. This chemical is reported to be widely used in agriculture and is a member of the family of fungicides known as triazole fungicides. It's closely related family members include the fungicides triadimefon, triadimenol, bitertanol, flusilazole, 1,2,4-triazole, and propiconazole. Each of these pesticides were reported in this article as being capable of causing birth defects in test animals when administered at doses as low as 30 mg/kg. These chemicals are far more toxic than even standard insecticides. The "No Observable Effect Level" (which means the maximum amount of the chemical that test animals can be exposed to without seeing any adverse effects) is reported to be only 2 mg/kg for flusilazole.
The study on the effects of cyproconazole (lets call it CPZ for simplicity) was headed by Dr. K. Machera, at the Laboratory of Pesticide Toxicology in Athens, Greece. Dr. Machera exposed 10 pregnant animals to different levels of CPZ ranging from 20-75 mg/kg from the 6th to the 16th day of pregnancy. On the 21st day of pregnancy the animals were sacrificed and the number of implantations, resorption sites and live and dead fetuses were recorded. The fetuses were weighed and examined for abnormalities.
Results showed the number of resorptions (similar to an early miscarriage) was over 8 times greater for the animals exposed to the 50 and 75 mg/kg doses. The fetal length was significantly smaller in doses from 50 mg/kg up. The fetal body weight was significantly less even at the lowest dose of 20 mg/kg.
Cleft Palate did not occur in any of the 100 offspring not exposed to CPZ. However, cleft palate did occur in 2% of animals exposed to 20 mg/kg of CPZ, 20% of animals exposed to 50 mg/kg of CPZ and 91% of animals exposed to the highest 100 mg/kg dose.
The same trend was also seen with hydrocephalus - 0% for the animals not exposed to CPZ, 6% for animals exposed to 20 mg/kg, 19% for animals exposed to 50 mg/kg, 32% for animals exposed to 75 mg/kg and 100% for the 12 animals exposed to the 100 mg/kg level.
These studies demonstrate the definite potential for pesticides in the triazole family to increase the risk of lower birthweight, lower body length, as well as strongly increasing the risk of cleft palate and hydrocephalus. With results such as this in test animals, it would certainly be worthwhile to investigate the incidence of these conditions among people living in close proximity to agricultural areas. Dr. Machera did not state if these chemicals were used on residential lawns as an anti-fungal agent. Keep in mind that these studies were looking for physical defects and were not looking for neurological defects in offspring (which typically occur at much lower levels).
Dr. K. Machera
Laboratory of Pesticide Toxicology
Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Athens, Greece
Intestinal Disorders in Children - Pregnancy & Malathion
SOURCE: Epidemiology, 3(1): 32-39, January, 1992
View Original Journal Article
The pesticide malathion is one of the most widely applied pesticides. It is often said to be a "safer" pesticide because it requires a larger exposure to cause death in test animals. However, malathion can cause many serious health disorders other than death. Investigators surveyed 933 pregnancies identified through hospitals in the San Francisco Bay area, in relation to exposure to the pesticide malathion that was applied aerially to control the Mediterranean fruit fly. No association was found between malathion exposure and spontaneous abortion, intrauterine growth retardation, stillbirth, or most categories of congenital abnormalities. However, it was found that mothers exposed to malathion during the second trimester of pregnancy had children with 2 1/2 times more gastrointestinal disorders (affecting the stomach and small intestines) in comparison to children not exposed to malathion during pregnancy. This study is being included as malathion is sometimes sprayed aerially (and repeatedly) over crops in agriculture districts. Of great significance, this birth defect occurred after only one exposure to the chemical.
Department of Preventive Medicine
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Trouble on the Farm - Children at Risk
SOURCE: Natural Resource Defense Council Report
View Original Report
The Natural Resource Defense Council completed an extensive report on the health dangers faced by children who live on a farm. Highlights of the report include the following:
| 1. | Fetuses, infants, and children are particularly susceptible to pesticides compared with adults because their bodies cannot efficiently detoxify and eliminate chemicals, their organs are still growing and developing, and because they have a longer lifetime to develop health complications after an exposure. |
| 2. | More than 320,000 children under the age of six living are living on farms in the U.S while hundreds of thousands more live adjacent to fields and have family members who work on farms. |
| 3. | Many pesticides that are never used indoors are tracked into the home and accumulate there at concentrations up to 100 times higher than outdoor levels.[ |
| 4. | Children living on farms have pesticide levels that exceed "safe levels" as determined by the United States EPA. |
| 5. | The cost of illness from pesticides nationwide total as much as $786 billion per year. |
| 6. | Metabolites of organophosphate pesticides used only in agriculture were detectable in the urine of two out of every three children of agricultural workers and in four out of every ten children who simply live in an agricultural region. |
| 7. | Expanded integrated pest management (IPM) programs and organic farming will ultimately help most in reducing pesticide exposures for our children and grand children. |
Autism - Depression & Alzheimer's Linked to Weed Killer
SOURCE: Entropy, 15:1416-1463, April 18, 2013
View Original Journal Article
Autism has been shown to occur more frequently among children living near agriculture (two reports at the top of this page). The weed killer (herbicide) known as Glyphosate (also called Round-Up) is the most popular herbicide used in agriculture world-wide. In this 2013 study, published in the journal Entropy, by Anthony Samsel and Dr. Stephanie Seneff (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the researchers show how the chemical glyphosate is linked to increasing autism rates by causing changes in body chemistry that affect important enzyme and biological systems critical in brain development and maintaining brain integrity. According to Dr. Seneff, the autism rate has risen from 1 in 10,000 in 1970 to 1 in 68 in 2012. At current trends, Dr. Seneff, predicts a 50% autism rate by 2025. The table below summarizes 2 ways that the pesticide glyphosate can damage body systems and increase the likelihood of Autism and Alzheimer's.
| Glyphosate amplifies toxicity of other toxic chemicals |
The body protects itself from toxic compounds in the environment through enzymes known as cytochrome P-450. Glyphosate targets the liver and reduces its ability to remove toxic chemicals that the body has consumed, inhaled, etc. This results in the toxic chemicals staying in the body for longer periods, thereby having more time to damage cells in the brain or any part of the body. Also of concern, Dr. Seneff states that compounds in today's modern vaccines (e.g. mercury & aluminum) are able to cause more harm if glyphosate is present. |
Beneficial |
Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter essential for the regulation of mood, appetite and sleep. Serotonin is manufactured in the body from the essential amino acid tryptophan. This report cites research showing low blood levels of tryptophan have been linked to depression, autism and Alzheimer's disease. Glyphosate has been found to damage gut bacteria which are responsible for tryptophan production, hence, showing potential to decrease serotonin levels. |
Obesity Higher in Children with Higher Pesticide Levels
SOURCE: Reviews of Environmental Health, 26(3): 215-9, 2011
View Original Journal Article
This study was conducted to investigate the link between exposure to environmental pesticides and childhood obesity. A total of 6,770 subjects aged 6-19 were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Exposure to pesticides was based on concentrations in urine samples. Results showed a dose-dependent increase in the rates of obesity for the pesticide "2,5-DCP." This pesticide is used as a soil fumigant in agricultural settings and is highly volatile after application. According to the Centers for Disease Control Biomonitoring Summary, 2,5-Dichlorophenol is a likely carcinogen. Median levels of 2,5-DCP in adults in a non-agricultural setting were 6.6 to 10/4 mcg/l (NHANES 2003-2008). Levels of the pesticide in pregnant women living in an agricultural region of California had median urinary levels 2 to 3 times higher at 21.5 and 18.5 micrograms/liter (mcg/l) and 95th percentile values of approximately 1950 mcg/l (Castorina et al., 2010).
The authors concluded by stating -
"This study suggests a possible relationship between exposure to 2,5-DCP and obesity in children."
Department of Community Medicine
Mercer University School of Medicine
Macon, GA 31207
Hyperactivity Linked to Very Low Levels of Pesticides
SOURCE: Environmental Health, 14:44, May, 2015
View Original Journal Article or Download PDF
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and
Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute.
Brown University of Public Health, Providence, RI
Lower IQ in 7 Year Old Children
SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 119(8) August 2011
View Original Journal Article or Download PDF
In conclusion, the authors stated:
Our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to OP pesticides, as measured by urinary DAP metabolites in women during pregnancy, is associated with poorer cognitive abilities in children at 7 years of age.
University of California-Berkeley
Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health
School of Public Health, Berkeley, California
Iron Overload - Hemochromatosis from Low Level Pesticide Exposure
SOURCE: International Journal of Molecular Medicine, Vol. 34(8), Nov 2014
View journal summary at - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25176568
View original article at - http://www.spandidos-publications.com/ijmm/34/5/1395
We have demonstrated that chlorpyrifos exposure significantly altered the expression of central iron genes (i.e., chlorpyrifos elevates ferroportin expression in macrophages (which uptake iron for transfer to red blood cells) and represses hepcidin expression in hepatocytes (liver cells).
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian, Beijing, China
Microcephaly (Small Head Size) in Animals Exposed to Mosquito Control Pesticides
SOURCE: Neurochemical Research, 27:231-240, 2008
View Journal Article
Microcephaly is a medical condition in which the brain is considerably smaller than normal, resulting in decreased intelligence and behavior problems. Although the research described here is not directly linked to living near agriculture, it does show how common pesticides can cause microcephaly. The chemical dichlorvos is formed within hours after application of the commonly used mosquito control pesticide dibrom (also referred to as naled).
The powerful neurotoxic nature of the pesticide was further emphasized when the scientists found that these brain abnormalities did not occur when animals were exposed to the other pesticides tested - soman - TOCP and ethyl-trichlorfon.
Scientists concluded by stating they suspect the nervous system abnormality occurred due to direct damage to DNA at a time when the animals' repair systems are not developed.
CHEM-TOX COMMENT: The fact that this study shows neurological damage can easily occur in animals (who are often less sensitive than humans to harmful neurological effects) is enough to warrant serious re-evaluation regarding the use of this toxic chemicals over populated areas.
University of Oslo, Institute of Biology
Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Oslo, Norway
Norwegian Defense Research Establishment
Division for Environmental Toxicology, Kjeller, Norway
Diabetes/Pre-Diabetes 11x Higher in Pesticide Applicators
SOURCE: Journal of Agromedicine, Volume 19(4): 417-26, 2014
View Journal Article
Section for Environment, Occupation and Health
Department of Public Health
Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Diabetes Linked to Higher Blood Pesticide Levels
SOURCE: Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22(1):379-386, Jan 2015
View Journal Article
CHEM-TOX COMMENT: Primary exposure routes for organochlorine pesticides is living in homes built before 1980 and consuming non-organic food. DDT is still found in commercially grown non-organic foods due to its continued use in South America and imports into other countries.
College of Applied Medical Sciences
King Saud University
Saudi Arabia