On Wednesday 3 April, as discussions were underway in the EU on the possible renewal of the authorisation for the pesticide chlorpyrifos beyond 2020, the NGO HEAL (Health and Environment Alliance) drew attention to the publication the same day of a new scientific study advocating an urgent assessment of the links between the pesticide and the development of autism among children.
The study on chemicals and autism was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. It reviews all available scientific literature on the association between exposure to chemicals in the environment and the development of autism (54 epidemiological studies, 46 rodent studies and 50 previous scientific reviews).
Singling out chlorpyrifos as a chemical of concern, the study adds fresh evidence to concerns about the effects of human exposure to chlorpyrifos.
“The conclusions of this new review are of particular relevance for Europeans who are exposed to residues of chlorpyrifos on a daily basis through their food and drinking water. Despite clear evidence of chlorpyrifos’ harm for our children's brain development and proper hormonal system functioning, the EU is considering greenlighting the continued use of this poisonous pesticide beyond 2020, when it could already be banned out of precaution”, says Genon K. Jensen, Director of HEAL, in a statement.
To consult the study in English, go to: https://bit.ly/2uL11BP. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)