A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Neurology has found a significant link between prenatal exposure to the widely used insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and structural abnormalities in the brain, as well as poorer motor function in New York City children and adolescents.
Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Keck School of Medicine of USC studied 270 children born to Latino and African-American mothers. The study participants had measurable quantities of CPF in their umbilical cord blood and were assessed by brain imaging and behavioral tests between the ages of 6 and 14 years.
The findings show that higher levels of CPF exposure are associated with greater alterations in brain structure, function, and metabolism, as well as poorer motor speed and motor programming. The study suggests that prenatal exposure produces enduring disturbances in brain development in direct proportion to the level of exposure.
Residential use was the primary source of CPF exposure in this cohort, although agricultural use continues for non-organic fruits, vegetables, and grains. Farm workers, pregnant women, and unborn children are particularly at risk due to widespread exposures. The study’s authors emphasize the importance of monitoring levels of exposure in vulnerable populations, especially pregnant women in agricultural communities.
The study’s lead author, Bradley Peterson, MD, noted that the disturbances observed with prenatal exposure to CPF were remarkably widespread throughout the brain, suggesting similar effects from other organophosphate pesticides. He urges caution and recommends minimizing exposures to these toxic chemicals during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood, when brain development is rapid and vulnerable to harm.
The study’s findings have significant implications for public health and highlight the need for continued research into the effects of environmental toxins on human development.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-brain-abnormalities-children-exposed-prenatally.html