Exposure to Pesticides During Pregnancy Reduces IQ in Children

13th May 2011

Recently I came across a few articles on CNN, New Scientist (ed. 30th April 2011, p. 15) and the Danish media, which announced that mother's exposure to pesticides during pregnancy have been found out to reduce child's IQ. Having recently become a mother for the second time myself, I wanted to share this information with you, who may be thinking of becoming parents.

The link between lowered IQ in children and in womb exposure to pesticides comes from three studies conducted in New York city and California, during which metabolites of organophosphates were measured in the urine of pregnant women or in blood from the umbilical cord. Later on, in the beginning of their school years, the children were tested for their IQ. On average, the children of the mother with the highest pesticide measures, were found to have an IQ of 7 points lower than the children of the mother with the lowest pesticide exposure. There was no link between the pesticide residues found in the child's urine and the IQ test score. This was found out to confirm that the pesticide exposure in womb was more decisive for the child's IQ than the pesticide exposure after birth.

We know that during pregnancy we should be careful to eat well, so that we can provide the fetus with the best possible growing environment. However, as it seems, we should be very careful on what type of fruit and vegetables we eat, and pay extra attention to the cleaning, so that we do not expose the growing baby to pesticides.

For those who would like to find out more about the study, please follow the link on the right to the article on CNN.

Wishing all the best for all the future parents!