Study links autism to prenatal pesticide exposure

[Anonymous]

No more fruits and veggies? No more walks around the neighborhood since my neighbors all treat their lawns? No more parks bc most of those surfaces are treated? Wtf is a pregnant woman supposed to do with this information?

[Anonymous]

To answer above - this is not "another maybe." There were several studies that concluded autumns was "possibly" linked to agricultural pesticides (which are neurotoxins). California is the only state where the use of the pesticides & herbicides must be accompanied by a filing with the state.
So the researchers knew where and when the neurotoxins were used. They could see it on a map. Then they followed reports of autism and saw where the mothers lived during their pregnancies. There's no doubt now. And simply being downwind, not necessarily next to the fields, is enough to cause developmental delays and/or autism.


P.S. - Many other studies have linked them to Parkinson's.

[Anonymous]

Autism, not "autumns." Autocorrect fail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No more fruits and veggies? No more walks around the neighborhood since my neighbors all treat their lawns? No more parks bc most of those surfaces are treated? Wtf is a pregnant woman supposed to do with this information?

Fight the powerful lobby. When you figure out how, let me know.

[Anonymous]

16:41 - Name-calling is extremely immature. And to boot, you're wrong.

Roundup Ready is the name Monsanto has given its crops. They're genetically altered to accept a dousing with Roundup. A toxic chemical that is made to kill plants. Read more at Monsanto's website - http://www.monsanto.com/weedmanagement/pages/history-roundup-ready.aspx

Here you go:

[Anonymous]

Pregnant women - buy certified organic and push the USDA & congress to stop handing out pork-barrel subsidies to chemical agriculture & or at least give organic farmers the same amount of financial support. Organic isn't expensive, big agriculture is artificially low because they get your tax money.

[Anonymous]

In much of Canada many of the pesticides have been banned. I know in Ontario, you can't put pesticides on your lawn or garden and there are over 250 products that are now banned. You can still buy round up, but it is locked behind a screen and an employee has to unlock the screen and tell you about the dangers and risks of use before selling it to you.

Other countries have also put bans on pesticides, some states have as well. It would be interesting to study and see if these restrictions have led to decreased rates of autism diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Things you can do:

1. Eat organic or local/farm bought (CSAs are a great easy option for pregnant ladies -- they deliver a big box of produce to your area for you).

2. Don't spray pesticides on your property. Try to visit places that don't spray, either. Lobby your municipality not to spray neurotoxic pesticides in parks. Talk to people you know and tell them about the study if they seem receptive. Don't apply permethrin-based flea and tick control to your dog while pregnant (use something else or ask someone else to do it).

3. Tell your elected representatives that you won't support them if they are in favor of agricultural spraying of neurotoxic pesticides.

4. Remove your shoes before you enter your house, you'd be surprised how much you track in on your shoes (including chemicals.

5. Get a good water filter for your drinking water (bottled isn't well-regulated) -- something that's at least a 3-stage filter. Reverse osmosis is best but you'll have to add minerals back in since it gets everything out of the water (including beneficial stuff).

6. Use the ewg.org skin deep database to limit your exposure to other dangerous chemicals while you're pregnant (though these have not all been studied, some, like phthalates, are clearly linked to birth defects in animal studies and yet are omnipresent in personal care products).

[Anonymous]

One note - Local food is chemically farmed unless the farm is certified organic. That means spraying pesticides locally. Just buy organic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One note - Local food is chemically farmed unless the farm is certified organic. That means spraying pesticides locally. Just buy organic.

WRONG. Many small farms can't afford organic certification but are nonetheless committed to organic practices (or sometimes better).

The key is to do your research and to have a good relationship with an honest farmer (reviews and word-of-mouth are great for sussing out responsible farmers to work with).

Organic can be good. Or it can be from an "organic" farm in China. Frankly, I'd trust almost any local farmer in the U.S. over an "organic" farmer in China. The soil there is heavily pollute with heavy metals, arsenic, and other toxins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People always think I am a lunatic when I refuse to use roach spray or roundup...

Roundup is not a pesticide (j/s)

Speaking od round up...you know what is frightening? Round up ready crops. We eat so much of that stuff. Plants are GMO to tolerate round up and are drenched in the stuff. The roundup becomes systemic in the plant. Washing is not enough.

Sorry it doesn't work that way and people aren't spraying round up on crops, you are an idiot

Must you? Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things you can do:

1. Eat organic or local/farm bought (CSAs are a great easy option for pregnant ladies -- they deliver a big box of produce to your area for you).

2. Don't spray pesticides on your property. Try to visit places that don't spray, either. Lobby your municipality not to spray neurotoxic pesticides in parks. Talk to people you know and tell them about the study if they seem receptive. Don't apply permethrin-based flea and tick control to your dog while pregnant (use something else or ask someone else to do it).

3. Tell your elected representatives that you won't support them if they are in favor of agricultural spraying of neurotoxic pesticides.

4. Remove your shoes before you enter your house, you'd be surprised how much you track in on your shoes (including chemicals.

5. Get a good water filter for your drinking water (bottled isn't well-regulated) -- something that's at least a 3-stage filter. Reverse osmosis is best but you'll have to add minerals back in since it gets everything out of the water (including beneficial stuff).

6. Use the ewg.org skin deep database to limit your exposure to other dangerous chemicals while you're pregnant (though these have not all been studied, some, like phthalates, are clearly linked to birth defects in animal studies and yet are omnipresent in personal care products).

this is a very nice list, but it's dancing on the deck of the Titanic.

I'm not surprised in the least by the study. I've been telling everyone who will listen that autism is caused by all the chemicals in our environment, pesticides included. But look at your carpeting, the chemicals in your clothing, in plastics, in food, in household products, in your furniture, on your lawn, sprayed by your municipality to kill mosquitoes, etc. etc. etc. I think the chemicals in vaccines are part of the entire fetid chemical stew we live in, so they are partly to blame as well. It's a mess, and it will never be cleaned up. Never.

[Anonymous]

And I guess i'm the lone voice saying that at least for Asperger's = totally genetic. I can see it throughout DH's family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I guess i'm the lone voice saying that at least for Asperger's = totally genetic. I can see it throughout DH's family.

+1. We have a VERY strong family history. Pesticides have nothing to do with it. Some times I think people latch on to these things because they think it gives them control when they really have none. I'm not saying pesticides are a wonderful thing (though i think the dangers are greatest for the farm workers and not the consumers) but autism is a complex disorder and we are in the infancy of understanding it. For some reason, autism brings out the sanctimonious who are absolutely certain they know the cause. Its vaccines! Its television watching (yes, I've read that one)! Its pesticides!

Eat organic, go at it. Its probably a much healthier course. But don't assume your child won't be born without autism.

[Anonymous]

The genetic predisposition is certainly clear. That doesn't mean we should drown ourselves in environmental triggers.