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Organophosphate Insecticides Unsafe at Any Level

By Alex Wierbinski - Posted on 10 November 2018

HEALTH & FITNESS

Organophosphates Unsafe at Any Level

(but no worries, there're everywhere & on everything...)

Leading researchers call for a ban on widely used insecticides,
UC Davis, November 9, 2018.

MAIN POINTS

Organophosphates
“Public health experts have found there is sufficient evidence that prenatal exposure to widely used insecticides known as organophosphates puts children at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders.”

“...the researchers call for immediate government intervention to phase out all organophosphates.”

Threat
“...compelling evidence that exposure of pregnant women to very low levels of organophosphate pesticides is associated with lower IQs and difficulties with learning, memory or attention in their children,”

All of Them
“Although a single organophosphate — chlorpyrifos — has been in the national spotlight, our review implicates the entire class of these compounds. ”

Origin and Method
“...developed as nerve gases and weapons of war, organophosphates today are used to control insects at farms, golf courses, shopping malls and schools. They kill pests by blocking nerve signaling.”

Not Safe at Low Levels
“...Based on more than 30 epidemiologic studies and scores of experimental studies in animals and cell cultures, they believe the evidence is clear: Exposure to organophosphates before birth, even at levels currently considered safe, is associated with poorer cognitive, behavioral and social development.”

Currently in Widespread Use
“Despite growing evidence of harm and recommendations from scientific advisors to and scientists within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, many organophosphates remain in use. This may be in part because low-level, ongoing exposures typically don’t cause visible, short-term clinical symptoms, leading to the incorrect assumption that these exposures are inconsequential, according to Hertz-Picciotto.”

Lasting Effects
“...the studies we reviewed suggest that the effects of chronic, low-level exposures on brain functioning persist through childhood and into adolescence and may be lifelong, which also is tragic.”

Recommendations
“Removing organophosphates from agricultural and non-agricultural uses and products”

“Proactively monitoring sources of drinking water for organophosphate levels”

“Establishing a system for reporting pesticide use and illnesses”

The Bottom Line

Don’t Worry, this Crap is in Everything...

HEALTH & FITNESS: Fruits & Veggies Chock Full of Pesticide Residues

Malathion
"...the most commonly used organophosphate insecticide."

Wiki
Malathion
"Malathion is a pesticide that is widely used in agriculture, residential landscaping, public recreation areas, and in public health pest control programs such as mosquito eradication. In the US, it is the most commonly used organophosphate insecticide."

Heavy Current Use
Malathion is occasionally sprayed over vast human populations in California for fruit fly control. As the research above indicated, these occasional drenchings are spikes in what appears to be steady exposure, as, "...organophosphates today are used to control insects at farms, golf courses, shopping malls and schools."

Moving this stuff out of our human environment and natural ecosystems is a good idea.

Yet More?
Besides its neurological effects, malathion is suspected of being an endocrine disruptor, capable of affecting childhood development from fetus to adolescent.

NY State Dept of Health
"Malathion and Mosquito Control"

3. Is malathion an "endocrine disruptor"?

"Effects on some endocrine glands and changes in some hormone levels were reported in laboratory animals given repeated oral doses of malathion. The amount of malathion given to animals in these studies, however, exceeds the amount humans are likely to contact from the spraying of malathion."

Yet, these higher levels may be approached, or even reached, when we consider the common public use of malathion.

Endocrine Disruptors

NPR Downplays Threats from Universal Distribution of Microplastics and Endocrine Disruptors

More Human Effects

Speeds puberty in Boys

Pesticides Kill Everything

ALL HEALTH & FITNESS NEWS

November 2018 News of Man & Nature