NEW YORK, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Children who were exposed prenatally to the insecticide chlorpyrifos had poorer mental and motor development by age 3, says a U.S. study.
Chlorpyrifos, which was banned for U.S. residential use in 2001, is still widely applied to agricultural crops in the United States and abroad, including many fruits and vegetables.
The study assessed development of approximately 250 inner-city children from New York City who were born between 1998 and 2002.
By age 3 the children with the highest levels of chlorpyrifos at birth -- upper 20th percentile -- had significantly worse mental development and poorer motor skills than children with lower exposure levels, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
"These findings indicate that prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos not only increases the likelihood of developmental delay, but may have long-term consequences for social adjustment and academic achievement," said lead author Virginia Rauh.
The findings are published in the journal Pediatrics.
