Does exposure to pesticides during pregnancy raise the risk of autism in children? Studies suggest a possible link, especially with certain pesticides like organophosphates, but the evidence is not fully settled and calls for more research.
Pregnant women and their developing babies can come into contact with pesticides through food, air near farms, or home use. These chemicals are meant to kill bugs on crops, but they might affect human brains too. One big worry is organophosphates, like chlorpyrifos. A study looked at kids exposed to chlorpyrifos before birth. It found changes in brain structure, such as enlarged areas on the brain’s surface, in children with higher exposure levels. These kids also showed lower IQ scores and attention problems. The research came from a group of 40 kids aged about 6 to 11, and exposures were from everyday use, not just farm work. Read the full study here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1203396109[1].
Other work points to organophosphates harming brain growth. For over 30 years, scientists have warned that these pesticides can damage young brains, mainly during pregnancy. In places like California’s Salinas Valley, where farms spray a lot, kids near fields during mom’s pregnancy faced higher risks of learning issues and behavior problems. One report tied living just half a mile from sprayed fields to these harms. Chlorpyrifos was banned for home use years ago, but farm spraying goes on. Check this article for details: https://lookout.co/organophosphates-are-obsolete-why-are-we-still-spraying-them-on-our-fields-and-endangering-kids/story[2].
A key study found kids of moms exposed to organophosphates in pregnancy were 60 percent more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder compared to unexposed kids. This came from research published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Another piece noted prenatal pesticide exposure links to low IQ, and some tie it to autism risks alongside other diseases. See the study summary: https://www.consultant360.com/story/study-links-pesticide-exposure-pregnancy-autism[5]. And this on IQ: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/prenatal-pesticide-exposure-linked-low-iq-13417779[6].
Research groups like the Autism Research Institute list pesticides as one possible factor in autism risk, along with air pollution. They study exposures in the womb and early life, looking at how they might change brain growth or gene activity in kids with autism. More here: https://autism.org/ari-funded-research-studies-2024/[3].
Not all studies agree on every detail. Some look at pesticides before pregnancy and find mixed results on birth defects, but fewer focus right on autism. Preconception exposures to various pesticides showed no clear rise in some defects, though others like certain herbicides had links in boys. Details in this review: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12753933/[4].
Sources
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1203396109
https://lookout.co/organophosphates-are-obsolete-why-are-we-still-spraying-them-on-our-fields-and-endangering-kids/story
https://autism.org/ari-funded-research-studies-2024/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12753933/
https://www.consultant360.com/story/study-links-pesticide-exposure-pregnancy-autism
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/prenatal-pesticide-exposure-linked-low-iq-13417779
