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Certain Insecticides Might Hurt Child Cognitive Ability

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Exposure to some insecticides has been shown to decrease children’s cognitive ability. That’s according to a new study published in the journal Environment International.

Pyrethroids are a family of insecticides used in agriculture and veterinary sectors, and  found in lice shampoo and mosquito products. Pyrethroids have generally been considered effective and safer than alternatives. They're  stored in ground-level dust, and can get into  the digestive system, such as when children put their hands to mouth.

State epidemiologist for the Division of Public Health, Dr. Henry Anderson says the insecticide on the ground gets ingested by kids...

"....young children crawling around on the floor, these materials are on the dust and they get it on their hands and they lick their hands and their hands are sticky because they were eating ice cream cones, kids tends to get a higher exposure than adults..."

Researchers looked nearly 300 children age 6. They found a significant decrease in cognitive performances, particularly verbal comprehension and working memory in children who’ve been exposed to pyrethroid insecticides.

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