American research confirms that exposure to chemical pesticides during pregnancy can have serious repercussions on the brain development of the unborn child.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousLa pregnancy we know it is a very delicate period in which it would be better to avoid certain foods and drinks and more generally to be careful about your lifestyle which should be as healthy as possible. New research demonstrates how exposure to pesticides of expectant mothers may be particularly dangerous for the unborn child.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the Mind Institute of the University of California and published in Environmental Health Perspectives, showed that women who live close (within 1 km and a half) to farms or cultivated fields where they makes extensive use of chemical pesticides have a greater chance of having children with developmental delays or with autism.
According to the researchers, the greatest risk is recorded if exposure to these chemicals occurs in particular in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The study took place on 970 families with children aged 2 to 5 with autism or delay comparing the data on pesticide use reported in the California Pesticide Use Report with those on the health and habits of expectant mothers from a study: the Northern California-based Childhood Risk of Autism from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) Study.
Researchers focused on exposure to specific classes of pesticides such as organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates. Especially chlorpyrifos would be dangerous, especially if the pregnant woman comes into contact with it from the fourth month onwards.
Janie F. Shelton, lead author of the research, said, This study validates the results of previous research that had reported associations between having a child with autism and prenatal exposure to agricultural chemicals in California. While we have yet to investigate whether certain subgroups are more vulnerable to exposure to these compounds than others, the message is very clear: pregnant women should be especially careful to avoid contact with agricultural chemicals as much as possible. "
It now seems proven, therefore, that pesticides have neurotoxic potential on the fetus, that is, they are able to act negatively on the correct brain development of the child. It is therefore always better to stay away from it, more than ever in a delicate period like that of pregnancy.
Read also:
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