Parents Beware! Common Pesticide is Bad for Children's Lungs: Study

Pesticides have been known as deadly to farm pests and dangerous to humans using them. Now, a recent study has found that it affects kids' lungs badly too.

The study, which is published in the journal Thorax, has associated the levels of organophosphate pesticide metabolites found in the urine of 279 kids with a decrease in the lung's function. They discovered that, the more metabolites are concentrated in the kids' urine, the larger the decrease in lung function.

"Researchers have described breathing problems in agricultural workers who are exposed to these pesticides, but these new findings are about children who live in an agricultural area where the organophosphates are being used," study senior author Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health, said in a press release.

"This is the first evidence suggesting that children exposed to organophosphates have poorer lung function," she added.

For the study, the researchers collected data from children who were part of the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS). These kids were from California's Salinas Valley.

The researchers followed the kids and collected urine samples five times from the kids while they were between 6 months and 5 years of age. With each time a sample was taken, the level of organophosphate pesticide metabolites was measured. When the kids reached the age of 7, they were given a test to measure the amount of air they could breathe.

The researchers took into account other factors that could influence the results. These include mother's smoking habits, air pollution, the presence of molds or pets in the home and the distance of their houses from highways.

They found that a tenfold increase in the concentrations of the said metabolites to be associated with a 159-millimeter decrease in lung function. This translates to 8 percent less air when blowing – a decrease comparable to a child being exposed to his/her mother's smoking.

"If the reduced lung function persists into adulthood,” study lead author Rachel Raanan, who conducted the study as a postdoctoral scholar in Eskenazi's lab, explained. She added that “it could leave our participants at greater risk of developing respiratory problems like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)."

Although the researchers did not look into the ways on how the children are exposed to such pesticides, they recommend that farmers should change or remove their work clothes and footwear before entering the home. They add that children should be kept away from fields when pesticides are being sprayed; and that washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly should be done before consuming them.