Study Ties Some Pesticides to Risk of ADHD in Children
25 May 2010
A crop duster sprays pesticide on a corn field
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
A.D.H.D. is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Government estimates say three to seven percent of school-age children in the United States have it. Adults can also have it. People with A.D.H.D. have problems with paying attention, controlling their behavior and being overly active.
Now, a study has linked an increased risk of A.D.H.D. in children to exposure to some kinds of pesticides. The chemicals are known as organophosphate pesticides. They kill insects by attacking their nervous systems. Earlier studies have shown that some of the compounds cause hyperactivity and thinking deficits in laboratory animals.
Researchers at the University of Montreal in Canada and Harvard University in Massachusetts did the study. It involved more than one thousand one hundred children between the ages of eight and fifteen. One hundred nineteen of them were identified as having A.D.H.D.
The researchers tested all the children for products that break down from organophosphates. Maryse Bouchard of the University of Montreal and Harvard lead the research team. She says, "The higher the level of pesticide residue in the urine, the higher the risk of A.D.H.D. in the children."
The scientists reported that the risk of the disorder was almost double in children with high levels compared to those with no measurable level. They say exposure at levels common among children in the United States may increase the chances that a child will be diagnosed with A.D.H.D.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25