Pesticides
CCCEH staff visiting mother and baby in hospital.
Pesticides are chemicals that prevent or destroy unwanted pests such as insects, rodents, and fungi. Since pesticides are designed to hurt or kill living things, it is not surprising that they can harm humans too. Babies and children are more vulnerable to pesticides than adults because their bodies are in the process of developing. Their defenses against toxicants are immature and do not yet provide adequate protection. Prenatal and early-life exposure to chemical-based pesticides can permanently change the way biological systems function. Children’s nervous systems and cognitive development can be adversely affected and some research studies have shown a link to increased cancer risk.
Pesticides can enter our bodies when we breathe air following the use of spray pesticides or when we eat fruits and vegetables treated with pesticides. Pregnant women pass their contact with pesticides on to their unborn babies. The Center’s research has shown that pesticides can easily cross the placenta during pregnancy, reaching the developing infant. Young children have greater exposure to pesticides than adults as they spend more time on the floor and grass where pesticides are commonly applied, they put objects and hands in their mouths, and they may eat more foods contaminated with pesticides.
What We Know About Pesticides
Research being conducted at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health is showing that exposure to pesticides during pregnancy harms the healthy growth and development of babies in the womb and adversely affects development in early childhood.
Smaller newborns — Pregnant women in our Mothers & Newborns Study in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx who were exposed to high levels of residential pesticides containing the organophosphates, chlorpyrifos (also called Dursban) and diazinon, had smaller babies than women with lower exposures. After the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restricted the use of these substances from home pesticide products in 2000 and 2001, our studies documented decreased exposure in pregnant women to these particular organophosphates, and we no longer saw adverse fetal growth outcomes related to organophosphate pesticide exposure. However, chlorpyrifos and diazinon are still used as agricultural pesticides on fruits and vegetables.
Our recent research has shown that the mix of pesticides used to control pests in homes is changing in response to the EPA’s 2000-2001 regulations restricting use of the chlorpyrifos and diazinon. It appears pyrethroid insecticides are replacing the restricted compounds in spray products used to control pests. Pyrethroids are likely replacements as they are less toxic to humans than the organophosphates and because they are less likely to be inhaled after spraying. In our cohort, the use of permethrin, a common pyrethroid, increased after the restricted compounds were phased-out.
Delayed movement, learning — A CCCEH study published in the December 2006 issue of the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics, showed a link between pesticide exposure and adverse child development. Children who were prenatally exposed to chlorpyrifos had significantly poorer cognitive and motor development at three years of age and increased risk for behavior problems. Children with higher exposure in the womb were also more likely to be more active and have difficulties paying attention than other 3-year-olds. The extent of health effects observed is comparable to past studies about children prentatally exposed to lead and tobacco smoke. These early delays affect children’s ability to learn and their later school performance.
What You Can Do
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a safer, low-toxicity approach to keeping homes free of pests and toxic pesticides. When used during pregnancy, IPM reduces pests in your home and the level of harmful pesticides reaching you and your unborn baby. Using IPM after pregnancy keeps children safer from pesticides that may harm early development.
Residential IPM uses three main tools to minimize exposure to pesticides:
- Cleaning — Keep kitchen free of food spills and crumbs so pests do not come looking for food. Take out kitchen garbage every day.
- Low-toxicity pest control products — Avoid using residential pesticides in the forms of sprays, bombs, and fogs. Lower-toxicity pesticides, in the form of sticky traps, bait stations, and gels, are safe to use, last longer, and are more effective. Throw away old pest control products. Avoid products that have chlorpyrifos and diazinon. Examples include Tres Pasitos, Tempo, or Tiza China (Chinese Chalk). These rat and roach poisons are dangerous for children.
- Building repairs — Repair leaky pipes and close large holes, cracks, and crevices in your apartment to block pest entry points and eliminate breeding sites. Plug small cracks with caulk; for bigger holes, use steel wool or copper mesh and spackling compound.
Resources
More information on pesticides:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- National Resources Defense Council
- Kids Health: “Pesticide-Related Illness”
Information on how to read a pesticide product label:
Find professionals using Integrated Pest Management (IPM):