Prenatal Pesticide Exposure Leading to Lower IQ?

I recently read an article that talked about a study which was carried out that showed the possibility of pesticides being detrimental to the development of children. This study was done at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Public Health, and looked at organophosphate pesticides that are commonly used on crops, and their effects on children who had prenatal exposure.

            It was found in the study that ever tenfold increase in the amount of organophosphates detected during a pregnancy was associated with a 5.5 point drop in their overall IQ scores (for 7 year olds). The children with the highest levels of prenatal pesticide exposure scored 7 points lower than children who had the lowest levels of exposure in intelligence tests. This study along with other studies at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center and at Columbia University who also tested the relation between prenatal pesticide exposure and a child’s IQ at age 7, were published in the journal entitled Environmental Health Perspectives. The author of the journal commented on how unusual it is to see this much consistency across populations in terms of the results of their studies. The study also found an association between prenatal pesticide exposure and attention problems in children at age 5.

The study began in 1999, and samples of urine were tested for dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites twice during pregnancy and then regularly after birth from 6 months to 5 years of age. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was used to assess the cognitive abilities of children at the age of 7, including verbal and perceptual comprehension, memory, and processing speed. Similarly to the overall IQ scores, each of these categories of cognitive development showed a significant decrease in the scores of the children exposed to higher levels of DAPs during the mother’s pregnancy. However, it was also shown that pesticide exposure after birth was not correlated to a child’s IQ; only to the exposure to the fetal brain development.

This is a scary situation because so many people are exposed to pesticides that are used around their homes, schools, and communities. I think it is important for consumers to reduce their use of home pesticides, and realize that these chemicals are not the only option. Fruits and vegetables should also by thoroughly washed, and organic products could be bought as an alternative.

Here is a link to the article that I read, where you can learn more about the study: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110421082519.htm.

Reducing Gases in Our Atmosphere: Hybrid Cars

I recently did a chemistry project which was studying air quality and the either positive or negative factors that have an effect on air pollution. I was researching hybrid cars, and found it to be very interesting.

When the automobile was first invented the world began to change, as transportation of products and people finally could occur over much greater distances. However, this invention was not without consequence. Oil is one of the earth’s limited fossil fuels that create harmful emissions when burned, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. Carbon monoxide exposure is directly linked to heart disease, and nitrogen oxides are thought to be at fault for the increase in acid rain. Though carbon dioxide levels are not regulated by the government, high levels of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere with the burning of fuel, and are considered to be a major cause of global warming. These gases released from the burning of fuel are called Greenhouse gases and when they collect up in the atmosphere, they contribute to the Greenhouse effect, as the sun’s rays are able to enter the atmosphere but are not able to escape. While electric-powered cars contribute almost no pollution at all to the atmosphere, they can only travel about 50 km before needing to be recharged. As well, it has not yet been shown that fully electric cars can operate effectively in the Canadian winter. With the introduction of hybrid cars came many advantages in terms of pollution to the atmosphere. Hybrid cars use a sophisticated combination of a powerful electric motor and a small gasoline motor. In this way, they combine the advantages of both gasoline powered and electrically powered vehicles, drastically reducing the harmful carbon emissions which are released into the atmosphere and which contribute to the warming of the earth. The two main benefits of using hybrid cars are that they improve fuel efficiency, as well as reducing harmful emissions. They are able to maintain the power associated with a gasoline engine, while contributing to the environmental benefits associated with an electric engine. By reducing fuel consumption by up to 250 gallons per year, hybrid cars are much more environmentally friendly in terms of air pollutants in the atmosphere. It is estimated that most hybrid cars produce ninety percent less harmful emissions into our atmosphere than traditional vehicles do. Though hybrid cars have several environmental benefits, they are also the cause of other environmental costs, including costs of storage and the factor of pollution of their battery components.

As shown, there is no perfect solution to reducing air pollution. Humans have been known to be at fault for the steady warming of the Earth for quite some time, and many people do not consider all the ways in which they can reduce their carbon footprint. Driving a hybrid car is a very effective and relatively simple way to drastically reduce the amount of air pollution in our atmosphere. Hopefully if everyone works to reduce their individual amount of pollution, the air quality on Earth will slowly improve, because our own pollution does not just affect us, but everyone else around the world.

Thank you. If you are interested in learning about more ways that you can reduce your carbon emissions, you can visit this website: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/reduce-your-carbon-footprint/