Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

Mountain Of Evidence Confirms Common Pesticide Hazardous To Children’s Health

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


Stacy Malkan, Children’s Health Defense
Waking Times

Chlorpyrifos insecticides were introduced by Dow Chemical in 1965 and have been used widely in agricultural settings. Commonly known as the active ingredient in the brand names Dursban and Lorsban, chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide, acaricide and miticide used primarily to control foliage and soil-borne insect pests on a variety of food and feed crops. Products come in liquid form as well as granules, powders and water-soluble packets, and may be applied by either ground or aerial equipment.

Chlorpyrifos is used on a wide variety of crops including apples, oranges, strawberries, corn, wheat, citrus and other foods families and their children eat daily. USDA’s Pesticide Data Program found chlorpyrifos residue on citrus and melons even after being washed and peeled. By volume, chlorpyrifos is most used on corn and soybeans, with over a million pounds applied annually to each crop. The chemical is not allowed on organic crops.

  • Non-agricultural uses include golf courses, turf, green houses and utilities.

    Human health concerns

    The American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents more than 66,000 pediatricians and pediatric surgeons, has warned that continued use of chlorpyrifos puts developing fetuses, infants, children and pregnant women at great risk.

    Scientists have found that prenatal exposures to chlorpyrifos are associated with lower birth weight, reduced IQ, the loss of working memory, attention disorders and delayed motor development. Key studies are listed below.

    Chlorpyrifos is also linked to acute pesticide poisoning and can cause convulsions, respiratory paralysis and sometimes, death.

    FDA says food and drinking water exposures unsafe

    Chlorpyrifos is so toxic that the European Food Safety Authority banned sales of the chemical as of January 2020, finding that there is no safe exposure level. Some U.S. states have also banned chlorpyrifos from farming use, including California and Hawaii.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached agreement with Dow Chemical in 2000 to phase out all residential uses of chlorpyrifos because of scientific research showing the chemical is dangerous to the developing brains of babies and young children. It was banned from use around schools in 2012.

    In October 2015, the EPA said it planned to revoke all food residue tolerances for chlorpyrifos, meaning it would no longer be legal to use it in agriculture. The agency said “expected residues of chlorpyrifos on food crops exceed the safety standard under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.” The move came in response to a petition for a ban from the Natural Resources Defense Council and Pesticide Action Network.

    In November 2016, the EPA released a revised human health risk assessment for chlorpyrifos confirming it was unsafe to allow the chemical to continue in use in agriculture. Among other things, the EPA said all food and drinking water exposures were unsafe, especially to children 1-2 years old. The EPA said the ban would take place in 2017.

    Trump EPA delays ban 

    Following the election of Donald Trump as president of the U.S., the proposed chlorpyrifos ban was delayed. In March 2017, in one of his first formal actions as the nation’s top environmental official, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt rejected the petition by environmental groups and said the ban on chlorpyrifos would not go forward.

    The Associated Press reported in June 2017 that Pruitt had met with Dow CEO Andrew Liveris 20 days before halting the ban. Media also reported that Dow contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural activities.

    In February 2018, EPA reached a settlement requiring Syngenta to pay a $150,000 fine and train farmers in pesticide use after the company failed to warn workers to avoid fields where chlorpyrifos was recently sprayed and several workers who entered the fields were sickened and required medical care. The Obama EPA had initially proposed a fine nearly nine times larger.

    In February 2020, after pressure from consumer, medical, scientific groups and in face of growing calls for bans around the world, Corteva AgriScience (formerly DowDuPont) said it would phase out production of chlorpyrifos, but the chemical remains legal for other companies to make and sell.

    According to an analysis published in July, U.S. regulators relied on falsified data provided by Dow Chemical to allow unsafe levels of chlorpyrifos into American homes for years. The analysis from University of Washington researchers said the inaccurate findings were the result of a chlorpyrifos dosing study done in the early 1970s for Dow.

    The decision came after multiple meetings between the EPA and Corteva.

    Groups and states sue EPA 

    Following the Trump administration’s decision to delay any ban until at least 2022, Pesticide Action Network and Natural Resources Defense Council filed suit against the EPA in April 2017, seeking to force the government to follow through with the Obama administration’s recommendations to ban chlorpyrifos.

    In August 2018, a federal appeals court found that the EPA broke the law by continuing to allow use of chlorpyrifos, and ordered EPA to finalize its proposed ban within two months. After more delays, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced in July 2019 that EPA would not ban the chemical.

    Several states have sued the EPA over its failure to ban chlorpyrifos, including California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland, Vermont and Oregon. The states argue in court documents that chlorpyrifos should be banned in food production due to the dangers associated with it.

    Earthjustice has also filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Court seeking a nationwide ban on behalf of groups advocating for environmentalists, farmworkers and people with learning disabilities.

    Medical and scientific studies

    Developmental neurotoxicity

    Childrens’ IQ & cognitive development

    Birth cohort study of predominantly Latino farmworker families in California associated a metabolite of organophosphate pesticides found in the urine in pregnant women with poorer scores in their children for memory, processing speed, verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning and IQ. “Our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to OP [organophosphate] pesticides, as measured by urinary DAP [dialkyl phosphate] metabolites in women during pregnancy, is associated with poorer cognitive abilities in children at 7 years of age. Children in the highest quintile of maternal DAP concentrations had an average deficit of 7.0 IQ points compared with those in the lowest quintile. Associations were linear, and we observed no threshold.” Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides and IQ in 7 Year Old Children, Environmental Health Perspectives, 2011.

    Prospective cohort study of women and their children findings “suggest that prenatal exposure to organophosphates is negatively associated with cognitive development, particularly perceptual reasoning, with evidence of effects beginning at 12 months and continuing through early childhood.” Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphates, Paraoxonase 1, and Cognitive Development in Childhood, Environmental Health Perspectives, 2011.

    Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders

    Population-based case-control study “observed positive associations between ASD [autism spectrum disorders] and prenatal residential proximity to organophosphate pesticides in the second (for chlorpyrifos) and third trimesters (organophosphates overall)”.

    Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Prenatal Residential Proximity to Agricultural Pesticides: The Charge Study, Environmental Health Perspectives, 2014.

    See also: Tipping the Balance of Autism Risk: Potential Mechanisms Linking Pesticides and Autism, Environmental Health Perspectives, 2012.

    Brain anomalies

    Fetal growth

    Prospective, multiethnic cohort study found that “when the level of maternal PON1 activity was taken into account, maternal levels of chlorpyrifos above the limit of detection coupled with low maternal PON1 activity were associated with a significant but small reduction in head circumference. In addition, maternal PON1 levels alone, but not PON1 genetic polymorphisms, were associated with reduced head size. Because small head size has been found to be predictive of subsequent cognitive ability, these data suggest that chlorpyrifos may have a detrimental effect on fetal neurodevelopment among mothers who exhibit low PON1 activity.” In utero pesticide exposure, maternal paraoxonase activity, and head circumference, Environmental Health Perspectives, 2003.

    Lung Cancer  

    In an evaluation of over 54,000 pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study, scientists at the National Cancer Institute reported that the incidence of lung cancer was associated with chlorpyrifos exposure. “In this analysis of cancer incidence among chlorpyrifos-exposed licensed pesticide applicators in North Carolina and Iowa, we found a statistically significant trend of increasing risk of lung cancer, but not of any other cancer examined, with increasing chlorpyrifos exposure.” Cancer Incidence Among Pesticide Applicators Exposed to Chlorpyrifos in the Agricultural Health Study, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2004.

    Parkinson’s Disease 

    Case-control study of people living in California’s Central Valley reported that ambient exposure to 36 commonly used organophosphate pesticides separately increased the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The study “adds strong evidence” that organophosphate pesticides are “implicated” in the etiology of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. The Association Between Ambient Exposure to Organophosphates and Parkinson’s Disease Risk, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 2014.

    Birth outcomes

    Neuroendocrine disruption

    Tremor

    Cost of chlorpyrifos

    Thyroid in mice

    Problems with industry studies

    U.S. regulators relied for years on flawed pesticide data provided by Dow Chemical (U.S. Right to Know). “In our review of raw data on a prominent pesticide, chlorpyrifos, and a related compound, discrepancies were discovered between the actual observations and the conclusions drawn by the test laboratory in the report submitted for authorization of the pesticide.” Safety of Safety Evaluation of Pesticides: Developmental Neurotoxicity of Chlorpyrifos and Chlorpyrifos-methyl, Environmental Health, 2018.

    Other fact sheets

    Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center: A Controversial Insecticide and its Effect on Brain Development: Research and Resources

    Harvard University: The Most Widely Used Pesticide, One Year Later

    Earthjustice: Chlorpyrifos: The toxic pesticide harming our children and environment

    Sierra Club: Kids and Chlorpyrifos

    Journalism and Opinion

  • Like Waking Times on FacebookFollow Waking Times on Twitter.


    Source: https://www.wakingtimes.com/mountain-of-evidence-confirms-common-pesticide-hazardous-to-childrens-health/


    Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

    Anyone can join.
    Anyone can contribute.
    Anyone can become informed about their world.

    "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

    Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!


    Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

    Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

    Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST


    Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!

    HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.

    Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.

    MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)

    Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser!  Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!

    Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.

    Smart Meter Cover -  Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).

    Report abuse

      Comments

      Your Comments
      Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

      MOST RECENT
      Load more ...

      SignUp

      Login

      Newsletter

      Email this story
      Email this story

      If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

      If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.