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Chemical Effects on Babies

Babies and children are especially sensitive to health risks posed by pesticides for several reasons:

Their internal organs are still developing and maturing,
in relation to their body weight, infants and children eat and drink more than adults, possibly increasing their exposure to pesticides in food and water. Certain behaviors--such as playing on floors or lawns or putting objects in their mouths--increase a child's exposure to pesticides used in clothing, homes and yards.

Pesticides may harm a developing child by blocking the absorption of important food nutrients necessary for normal healthy growth. Another way pesticides may cause harm is if a child's excretory system is not fully developed, the body may not fully remove pesticides. Also, there are "critical periods" in human development when exposure to a toxin can permanently alter the way an individual's biological system operates.

Birth Defects Higher in Babies Born to Families
Living near Farming Areas using Pesticides

SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives
Volume 111(9):1259-1264, July, 2003

Babies born to families living near wheat growing agricultural areas using chemical pesticides have been found to have a 65% greater risk of having birth defects related to the circulatory/respiratory system. The pesticide category believed to be the culprit is known as chlorophenoxy herbicides that contain the chemical 2,4-D. Chlorophenoxy herbicides are used to kill a variety of weeds and are also commonly used by city and county maintenance departments for grass and weed control along roads, canals etc. Other conclusions of the study found there was over a 100% increase in respiratory/circulatory birth defects in babies if heart malformations were excluded. When looking at musculoskeletal/intergumental anomalies for both sexes in the high-wheat growing counties, there was a 50% increased risk of these types of defects. Infant deaths for male babies (from congenital anomalies related to the birth defects) was over 2.5 times higher than normal. Scientists also found that infants conceived from April-June (the time of primary pesticide application) had a 75% increased risk of being diagnosed with birth defects - compared to birth defect rates for conception during other times of the year.
In conclusion, the scientists stated - "These results are especially of concern because of widespread use of chlorphenoxy herbicides."
Dina M. Schreinemachers
National Health and Environmental effects Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina