|
(Health-NewsWire.Net, December 10, 2015 ) Old studies spoke about the harmful effect of organophosphate pesticides that attack the adult nervous system especially agricultural workers. But this recent research has hinted that even children living in an agricultural area where they are exposed to pesticide chemicals can be toxic and trigger many respiratory disorders.
Senior author Brenda Eskenazi who is a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health at the University of California, Berkeley states that this is the first evidence suggesting that children who are exposed to organophosphates have to face with low lung function.
The Study
Urine samples of 279 children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years were taken on five different occasions where the existence of organophosphate were researched upon. The children were from California's Salinas Valley which is an agricultural hub for producing grapes, orchids, lettuce etc.
Children at age 7 were asked to take deep breaths and release the air thus examining their ability. A 10 fold increase in organophosphate level was associated with approx 8% decrease in the amount of breaths a child could exhale. These findings remained consistent even after the experts took account of other factors that can affect the child's health such as mold, pets, second hand smoking by their mothers, air pollution etc.
One of the study author Rachel Raanan said in the university news release that “kids in our study had high pesticide exposure and lower breathing capacity. If this persists till adulthood, chances are that these participants are at a greater risk of developing respiratory problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
She further stated that such exposure to pesticides must be added in the 'list of environmental exposures' such as air pollution, cooking stove smoke, tobacco smoking etc. that can be dangerous for the future's hope.
“Given the fact that these pesticidies are still used worldwide deserve further attention”, stated the author.
The good news is use of organophosphates has decreased considerably in US since the study started in 2000 said the experts.
Bottomline, though traditional gardening still cannot be eliminated, there are many alternatives for you in hand. For instance, switching to organic pesticides that are natural and do not offer any health risks or moving to indoor gardening such as Big Buddha Box or Hydroponic grow cabinets that are currently changing the face of conventional gardening.
Admarkon
Rajeev
+918547843409
design2host@gmail.com
Source: EmailWire.Com 
|
