A new study has provided strong evidence that prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) can disrupt brain development, leading to structural abnormalities and impaired motor control in children well into adolescence. Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Keck School of Medicine of USC studied over 270 New York City children born to Latino and African-American mothers.
The study found that higher CPF exposure levels were directly linked to widespread changes in brain structure, function, and metabolism. The researchers used brain imaging and behavioral assessments to measure the effects of prenatal CPF exposure on the children’s brains. They discovered that progressively higher insecticide exposure levels were significantly associated with progressively greater alterations in brain structure, function, and metabolism.
The findings are particularly concerning because CPF remains widely used in agriculture, putting farmworkers, pregnant women, and their infants at risk. Scientists warn that other organophosphate pesticides may have similar long-lasting effects on developing brains.
The study’s senior author, Virginia Rauh, stated that the disturbances in brain tissue and metabolism observed with prenatal exposure to this pesticide were remarkably widespread throughout the brain. She emphasized the need for monitoring exposure levels in pregnant women and cautioning against organophosphate pesticide use during early brain development.
This research highlights the importance of protecting children’s brains from toxic chemicals like CPF. The study’s findings suggest that prenatal exposure to this pesticide can have long-lasting effects on brain development, leading to impaired motor control and structural abnormalities in the brain.
The researchers concluded that further studies are needed to understand the effects of other organophosphate pesticides on developing brains. They also called for stricter regulations to limit exposure to these chemicals, particularly during critical periods of brain development.
Source: https://neurosciencenews.com/pesticides-brain-development-29582