Bad for adult brains, too. On the heels of last week's strong
report from pediatricians highlighting the harms pesticides can
cause children's developing minds, a new study finds that
pesticides are clearly harming adult brains, too. In the "meta-
analysis" published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology,
scientists reviewed 14 separate studies of neurobehavioral
changes linked to low-level organophosphate (OP) pesticide
exposure. They found that workers exposed to OPs — particularly
over long periods of time — had reduced working memory and were
slower to process information. Researchers chose the studies
carefully since — as they note — findings on the effects of low-
dose exposures are often considered "controversial." They
included only those with control group comparisons, and only
those that used psychomotor tests (more accurate than
interviews) to evaluate impacts. Slower brain function From
fruit tree sprayers in New Jersey to greenhouse workers in Spain
to sheep dippers in the UK, farmers, farmworkers and