- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UCLA scientists have found that people whose workplaces were close to fields sprayed with the pesticides ziram, maneb and paraquat -- not just those who live nearby -- are at higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, reported the Los Angeles Times.
The disease has been reported to occur at high rates among farmers and in rural populations, contributing to the hypothesis that agricultural pesticides may be partially responsible, said a UCLA news release about the study.
The researchers discovered that combined exposure to...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Children who were exposed to certain types of organophosphate pesticides before birth could have lower levels of childhood intelligence, according to a UC Berkeley study reported on by the Salinas Californian.
The study examined the effects of pesticide exposure in the Salinas Valley for more than 10 years. The researchers, representing UC Berkeley and the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas, found that every 10-fold increase in the amount of the pesticides found in the mother during pregnancy corresponded with a 5.5 point drop in IQ scores when the children were 7.
"These associations are...
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