Countless studies have linked pesticide exposure to an array of health problems in humans, but scientists are now beginning to identify organophosphates, a class of pesticides, as a particularly malicious threat. Among the myriad of ill effects caused by exposure to organophosphates, evidence shows these compounds are fully capable of damaging children's brains.
And of course, these kinds of pesticides are used with abandon. Organophosphates are so dangerous that top researchers are now calling for a total ban on these toxins, due to their potential to harm children.
Pesticides linked to brain damage, low IQ
As Waking Times reports, many studies have linked Chlorpyrifos, an organophospate, to brain damage in children. Dow Chemical Company first started making Chlorpyrifos in 1965.
Like other organophosphates, Chlorpyrifos targets the central nervous system by suppressing acetyl cholinesterase, an enzyme essential to neurotransmission. While these chemicals are intended to kill bugs, research has consistently shown organophosphates are toxic to humans. Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of organophosphates like Chlorpyrifos -- especially while they're still in utero.
While Chlorpyrifos is the most infamous of organophosphates, research indicates that the entire class of pesticides is dangerous.
Back in 2013, another organophosphate, monocrotophos, killed 23 children in India.
Estimates suggest some 200,000 people die from organophosphate poisoning annually.
As CBS notes, organophosphates are also used to make nerve gas and other chemical weapons. In fact, before we used organophosphates to kill insects, they were used as weapons of war -- intended to kill people.
So, when we spray our crops with organophosphate pesticides, we are literally spraying our food supply with a chemical weapon designed to target the central nervous system. Is it any wonder that children's IQ's have been falling since the 1970s?
Recent research indicates that kids' IQ scores have been falling every decade since 1975. Scientists know this, yet our government continues to allow these chemicals to be used, pretty much without restraint.
Fortunately, a growing number of experts are standing up for humanity.
Calling for a ban
Public health leaders say that there is overwhelming evidence of harm related to organophosphate exposure, and many are now calling for a ban on the chemicals entirely. Prenatal exposure, in particular, puts children at a significant risk of developmental disorders.
A team of researchers from University of California-Davis published a paper in PLoS ONE in late 2018, describing the hazards of organophosphates and demanding immediate government action.
Lead author Irva Hertz-Picciotto, professor of public health sciences and director of the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center, states, "There is compelling evidence that exposure of pregnant women to very low levels of organophosphate pesticides is associated with lower IQs and difficulties with learning, memory or attention in their children."
Hertz-Picciotto, also a researcher at UC Davis MIND Institute, explains that while Chlorpyrifos is the most recognized, the team's research indicates the entire class of organophosphates is dangerous.
The reviewers say that organophosphates are extremely dangerous, even in very low amounts. Even at levels currently deemed safe, exposure to organophosates prior to birth is linked to poor cognitive, social and behavioral development.
"It should be no surprise that studies confirm that these chemicals alter brain development, since they were originally designed to adversely affect the central nervous system," Hertz-Picciotto states.
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