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A study published in late August, led by researchers from Columbia University and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, has provided further evidence demonstrating how prenatal exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos can induce neurological abnormalities and impair motor function in children and adolescents.

The study followed a large cohort of primarily Latinx and African-American youth—the duration spanning from birth to age 14—to investigate how prenatal exposure to widely used pesticides, specifically chlorpyrifos (CPF), affects human development.

The researchers identified a direct biological mechanism linking CPF exposure to persistent adversities.

Specifically, structural alterations were observed in the cortex, the brain region that governs memory, language, and motor function.

Higher levels of CPF exposure rates were correlated with greater brain tissue and neural metabolism disturbance.

The resulting functional and cognitive impairments at young ages persisted into adolescence.

Chlorypyrifos belongs to a family of chemicals called organophosphates, originally developed as chemical weapons, including nerve toxins such as sarin and VX.

The compound  functions on pests such as mosquitoes and worms by blocking an enzyme in the body and stopping signals from traveling between nerve cells, killing the pest. 

Products containing CPF are still widely utilized in the agricultural industry, including on soybeans, fruits, nut trees, and cauliflower.

While its potent toxicity makes it a highly effective insecticide, it simultaneously poses severe dangers to human health. 

Despite the multitude of scientific studies over the past decades linking chlorpyrifos to increased health adversities—including neurological, respiratory, and metabolic disorders—regulations are insufficient in protecting vulnerable communities from such risks.

Although the chemical has been banned from residential use within the United States since 2001, exposure still occurs.

Farmworkers continue to come in contact with chlorpyrifos and other harmful pesticides daily in the fields, and rural communities experience runoff from agricultural applications.

Chlorpyrifos exposure occurs not only from direct contact, but also via residue on produce and even through drinking water, making it a widespread public health issue.

More alarmingly, the burden of harm from these pesticides remains drastically disproportionate: farmworkers and rural communities face heightened risk, with children of farmworkers possessing urinary pesticide levels five times that of the general population.

These highly exposed populations are disproportionately of low-income communities of color: the most vulnerable, who lack access to safer options, adequate medical treatment, and robust legal protection.

“It is vitally important that we continue to monitor the levels of exposure in potentially vulnerable populations, especially in pregnant women in agricultural communities, as their infants continue to be at risk,” said Virginia Rauh, the Jane and Alan Batkin Professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia Mailman School.

This stark environmental injustice underscores the urgency for comprehensive policy changes to address pesticide exposure and its unequal impact.

Farmers frequently experience economic hardship, often forced to expose themselves, their families, and their communities to the chemicals in order to maintain their livelihoods.

Safer agricultural alternatives for both the people and the planet face significant competition and barriers.

Inadequate federal support exacerbates the issue rooted in corporate greed, racialized labor dynamics, and deliberate inattention.

Stronger federal and state support can help farmers transition to more sustainable and safe practices.

Addressing this complex and multifaceted issue will require multidimensional efforts that protect public health, uplift agricultural communities, and ensure environmental justice for those who have been affected, as well as our future generations who will be born to our decisions today.