[h=1]Reduced breathing capacity in kids linked to early pesticide exposure[/h] By
Sarah Yang, Media relations | December 3, 2015 Taking a deep breath might be a bit harder for children exposed early in life to a widely used class of pesticides in agriculture, according to a new paper by UC Berkeley researchers.
A new study has linked the levels of organophosphate pesticide metabolites in the urine of 279 children living in California?s Salinas Valley with decreased lung function. Each tenfold increase in concentrations of organophosphate metabolites was associated with a 159-milliliter decrease in lung function, or about 8 percent less air, on average, when blowing out a candle. The magnitude of this decrease is similar to a child?s secondhand smoke exposure from his or her mother.
The findings, published today in the journal
Thorax, are the first to link chronic, low-level exposures to organophosphate pesticides ? chemicals that target the nervous system ? to lung health for children...
