Prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos, a widely used organophosphate pesticide, was associated with lasting brain abnormalities and poorer motor skills in New York City children studied from birth through adolescence, according to research in JAMA Neurology.
Scientists at Columbia University and partner institutions analyzed magnetic resonance imaging from 270 youths aged 6 to 14 whose mothers had measurable chlorpyrifos in umbilical cord blood at delivery. Higher exposure correlated with altered cortical thickness, reduced white matter volume and lower regional cerebral blood flow.
Children with greater prenatal exposure performed worse on fine motor and motor programming tasks in standardized testing. Researchers said dose-dependent effects persisted years after exposure, suggesting disruption of neuronal development and metabolism during critical growth periods.
Chlorpyrifos has faced regulatory restrictions in the United States amid evidence of neurodevelopmental harm, though agricultural use continues in some settings. Authors recommended that pregnant women and young children minimize contact with organophosphate pesticides. The cohort primarily included children born to African American and Dominican mothers in northern Manhattan and the South Bronx.
The JAMA Neurology cohort followed children from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health born to African American and Dominican mothers in New York. Measurable chlorpyrifos in umbilical cord blood at delivery correlated with MRI changes years later, including thicker frontal and temporal cortices and reduced white matter volumes. U.S. regulators have restricted residential chlorpyrifos use while agricultural applications remain debated.
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Sources:
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