Can Pesticides Affect I.Q.?

Eat organic while pregnant and preserve your unborn child’s I.Q.? Three recent studies point to this conclusion by drawing attention to the impact that pesticides can have on an unborn fetus. The studies, financed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, found that babies exposed to high levels of pesticides while in the womb had significantly lower I.Q. scores than their peers by the time they reached school age. The pesticides in question are called organophosphates and are routinely sprayed on food crops and used to combat cockroaches and other bugs. In response to the findings, Dr. Philip Landrigan, a professor of pediatrics and Director of the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai, commented, “I think these are shocking findings. Babies exposed to the highest levels had the most severe effects. It means these children are going to have problems as they go through life.” [USA Today]