Pesticide exposure associated with high Blood pressure in children
By - Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Kohli
Published On 2019-05-23 14:50 GMT | Update On 2024-04-18 08:48 GMT
Pesticide exposure associated with high Blood pressure (BP) in children, finds a new study.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found that pesticide exposures during heightened pesticide spraying period may lead to higher blood pressure (BP) in children.This study involved boys and girls living near flower crops in Ecuador.The study has been published in the journal Environmental Research.
The key features of study was that:
1.The researchers assessed blood pressure (BP) in children examined after a pesticide spray period.
2. Blood pressure (BP) was higher in children examined sooner (vs later) after the pesticide spray period.
3.The elevated odds of hypertension/prehypertension were present in those examined sooner.
4.Time after the spray season was positively associated with acetylcholinesterase.
These findings are noteworthy in that this is the first study to describe that pesticide spray seasons not only can increase the exposure to pesticides of children living near agriculture, but can increase their blood pressures and overall risk for hypertension," said first author Jose R. Suarez, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Researchers assessed 313 boys and girls, ages 4 to 9, residing in floricultural communities in Ecuador. The children were examined up to 100 days after the Mother's Day harvest. The analyses are part of a long-term study of environmental pollutants and child development in Ecuador, directed by Suarez.
We observed that children examined sooner after the Mother's Day harvest had higher pesticide exposures and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) compared to children examined later. In addition, children who were examined within 81 days after the harvest were three times more likely to have hypertension than children examined between 91 and 100 days."
Research regarding the effects of pesticides on the cardiovascular system is limited, but Suarez said there is some evidence that insecticides, such as organophosphates, can increase blood pressure. Organophosphates and several other classes of insecticides and fungicides are commonly used to treat flowers for pests before export.
In a previous study, Suarez and colleagues had reported that children examined sooner after the harvest displayed lower performances in tasks of attention, self-control, visuospatial processing and sensorimotor than children examined later.
"These new findings build upon a growing number of studies describing that pesticide spray seasons may be affecting the development of children living near agricultural spray sites," said Suarez. "They highlight the importance of reducing the exposures to pesticides of children and families living near agriculture."
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