The New Nation - Internet Edition

ACCORDING to a recent study as reported from Oslo, many pesticides used in the European countries may 'damage brain growth' in fetuses and young children. 'Toxicity to the brain is not routinely included in testing pesticides', said Philippe Grandjean of the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark. He referred to a review of 200 scientific reports worldwide about the brain and pesticides saying because many of them are by design 'toxic' to the brain of insects, it is very likely that they are also toxic to human brains, particularly in fetuses and young children.

The developing brain of the fetus and the young child are far more sensitive than the adult brain to disruptions from chemicals as they wrote. The study focussed on the use of pesticides in the European Union's 27 countries that are currently reviewing pesticide laws and other experimental studies related to their application in the field. The study urged greater testing and caution in approving chemicals because of uncertainties about their effects. The media report also mentioned the views expressed by the manufacturers of pesticides who, rather, defended their products saying these were safe for humans.

Many other countries are watching what steps the European Union would take in this regard. The EU as a whole is expected to take up the issue 'more seriously' than in the past. Many pesticides used in the EU are also used in other nations. According to the study, pesticides used on the food crops in the European Union nations exceed 140,000 tonnes a year, corresponding to 280 grams per EU citizen. More than 25 per cent of fruits, vegetables and cereals contain detectable residues of at least two pesticides.