Study Finds ADHD-Pesticide Link Source CNN

Study Finds ADHD-Pesticide Link

Date Published: Monday, May 17th, 2010

  

We have long been following links between pesticides and herbicides and adverse medical effects across various demographics, including between pediatric cancer and common, household pesticides; pesticides and Parkinson’s disease; and pesticides and Alzheimer’s disease risks.

Now, CNN is reporting that children exposed to increased levels of specific pesticides known asorganophosphates are likelier to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than children who experience less exposure. Organophosphates are found in trace quantities on fruit and vegetables that are grown commercially.

Behavioral and cognitive problems in children have been seen in exposure to these pesticides; however, prior research only looked at the link in higher risk demographics, for instance, farmers. The emerging study is the first of its kind to review the link to the general population, noted CNN.

For this research, said CNN, the levels of pesticides byproducts was measured in the urine of 1,139 children nationwide. The researchers found that children who measured with higher-than-average levels of one specific and common “byproduct” had about twice the likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD, wrote CNN. The study appears in the journal Pediatrics.

The pesticides, organophosphates, are specifically created to have lethal effects on the nervous system, said Maryse Bouchard, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and a researcher in the department of environmental and occupational health at the University of Montreal, said CNN. “That’s how they kill pests,” Bouchard added, quoted CNN. Organophosphates act on those brain chemicals that are closely linked to those implicated in ADHD, noted Bouchard, saying “so it seems plausible that exposure to organophosphates could be associated with ADHD-like symptoms,” quoted CNN.

Pesticides have been linked to other adverse health effects. Recently we wrote that the herbicide, Atrazine—a known endocrine disrupter—was linked to sex changes in many male frogs—from male to female—and the “emasculation” of three-quarters of the other frogs. TheEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the pesticide under the Bush administration after it rejected earlier findings, said the SFGate previously. According to the SFGate, Atrazine’s worldwide ubiquity could likely be linked to a global decline in the frog and amphibian populations, which has confounded scientists and has also had impacts on world ecology.

EPA mandates, said CNN, have removed the majority of residential uses for organophosphates, such as for lawn care and termite removal, leaving the greatest exposure for this toxin in children to be found in food, such as commercially grown produce. Of note, although the entire population is believed to be similarly exposed, children have the greatest sensitivity to the chemicals, noted CNN.

The pesticides are found in detectable levels in much of the produce sold in this country, said CNN, taken from a 2008 report from a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citation in the study. The link is not considered a small effect. For instance, the study found that “28 percent of frozen blueberries, 20 percent of celery, and 25 percent of strawberries contained traces of one type of organophosphate,” with other types “found in 27 percent of green beans, 17 percent of peaches, and 8 percent of broccoli,” said CNN.

TV for Toddlers Linked With Later Problems

By TARA PARKER-POPE

Michael Temchine for The New York Times

Toddlers who watch a lot of television were more likely to experience a range of problems by the fourth grade, including lower grades, poorer health and more problems with school bullies, a new study reports.

The study of more than 1,300 Canadian schoolchildren tracked the amount of television children were watching at the ages of about 2 and 5. The researchers then followed up on the children in fourth grade to assess academic performance, social issues and general health.

On average, the schoolchildren were watching about nine hours of television each week as toddlers. The total jumped to about 15 hours as they approached 5 years of age. The average level of television viewing shown in the study falls within recommended guidelines. However, 11 percent of the toddlers were exceeding two hours a day of television viewing.

For those children, each hour of extra TV exposure in early childhood was associated with a range of issues by the fourth grade, according to the report published in the May issue of The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Compared with children who watched less television, those with more TV exposure participated less in class and had lower math grades. They suffered about 10 percent more bullying by classmates and were less likely to be physically active on weekends. They consumed about 10 percent more soft drinks and snacks and had body mass index scores that were about 5 percent higher than their peers.

While it may be that children who watched more TV also had less involved parents, the researchers said they controlled for factors like a mother’s education, whether the child was in a single parent family and other parenting concerns. The findings suggest that the differences were strongly linked with television exposure, not parental care, and that excessive television is not good for a developing brain.

“What is great about this study is that it addresses developmental outcomes across the board — from intellectual to physical to nutritional — all at once and addresses an age that has not been studied directly,” wrote lead author Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal in an e-mail message. “There is a lot of brain development and habits that are forming from zero to 5 years of age.”

Easy Science Project

Cleaning Money: Sensory Science Activity

8 JANUARY 2010 6 COMMENTS

This activity kept my kids happy and playing for well over half an hour! It was so easy to set-up. All we needed was some white vinegar, a couple tablespoons of salt and some coins. For my sanity, we used a few bowls and towels as well to contain the mess.

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First the kids dipped their rags into the vinegar and salt, then they scrubbed the coins. It was fun to watch the acid from the vinegar remove the dirt, grime and corrosion – those pennies really began to shine! The kids were curious as to why the dishrags were turning green and we had fun discussing how metals like copper break down and their rust is a bright blue/green.

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My son is always the pragmatic one. He figured out that it was quicker to get the coins clean if you soaked them for a few minuets in the vinegar before you dry them off. His hands smelled really “pickled” but he had a blast!

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After we were done, we counted our coins, discussed the differences between pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters. We compared piles of coins – which pile was worth more? Which pile had more physical coins? Which pile was the brightest? etc. I noticed that we had several coins from the 1940s and 50s in our pile! I was amazed at how long they had been in circulation.

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If my kids were a tad bit older I would have had them graph the dates the coins were minted, and put the quarters on a map of the states, matching the back of the quarter with it’s corresponding state. Maybe we would have even played a money growth game.  Alas, that was a bit much for my two and three year old preschoolers.