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Pregnant women from the Central Valley who were exposed to high
levels of pesticides were up to six times more likely to give birth to a child with autism or a related disorder, state health officials said Monday.
California Department of Public Health researchers studied 465 children
with autism spectrum disorders in 19 counties born between 1996 and
1998, comparing them with a control group of nearly 7,000 other
children.
They found that women who lived close to fields with the highest use of
a group of pesticides known as organochlorines were the most likely to
bear children with the disorders, which range from mild to severe and
cover a wide array of neurological and developmental problems,
including difficulties with speaking, social interaction and motor
skills.
Of 19 pesticides studied, only the organochlorines had a significant
association with autism disorders. Organochlorines include endosulfan
and dicofol, two pesticides whose use, primarily on cotton crops, has
declined "dramatically" in the past few years in favor of newer, less
toxic, pesticides, said Glenn Brank, a spokesman for the California
Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Although scientists have previously linked certain other pesticides to
neurological problems and developmental delays in children, this is the
first study to examine possible connections between pesticides and
autism disorders, said Dr. Mark Horton, director of the Department of
Public Health.
Still, the study's conclusions, while tentative, are important, Brank
said, noting that the pesticide regulation agency already is studying
whether to further restrict already tightly controlled endosulfan. A
similar review of dicofol is planned. The agency will be working
closely with public health officials to share information, he said.
"The implications of this study we are taking very seriously," Brank said.
Isaac Pessah, a researcher with the University of California-Davis'
MIND Institute, which studies autism, described the study as
well-conducted, if small. Scientists need to look at larger populations
to better define the relationship between pesticides and autism, he
said. This line of research also could divert attention from studying
the purported role that mercury and vaccines have in causing autism, a
link that largely has been debunked, he said.
The
California Department of Public Health study was posted online Monday
by the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and will be published
in an upcoming issue.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
The Environmental Health Perspectives article is available at www.ehponline.org.
Mercury News Staff Writer Julie Sevrens Lyons contributed to this report.
Contact Barbara Feder Ostrov at bfeder@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5064.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2007/07/30/snow.auti sm.link.cnn
Very interesting. Thanks for posting it.
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