All along parents have been eager to blame vaccines for Autism.

In further confirmation, a third study this week from California specifically links autism spectrum disorders to pesticide exposure. In the new study, about a third of mothers had living within a mile of fields treated with pesticides, most commonly organophosphates, were 60 percent more likely to have an autism spectrum disorders than children of non-exposed mothers, per Environmental Health Perspectives. For some pesticides, exposure seemed to be most important just before conception and in the third trimester, but for others it didn’t seem to matter when during pregnancy women were exposed.

Organophosphate (OP) compounds are a diverse group of chemicals used in both domestic and industrial settings. Examples of organophosphates include insecticides (malathion, parathion, diazinon, fenthion, dichlorvos, chlorpyrifos, ethion), nerve gases (soman, sarin, tabun, VX), ophthalmic agents (echothiophate, isoflurophate), and antihelmintics (trichlorfon). Herbicides (tribufos [DEF], merphos) are tricresyl phosphate–containing industrial chemicals.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

Don’t spray for cockroaches every month. Instead use integrated pest management – i.e. seal up cracks and crevices in the home, clean up food residue, try non-toxic options and use chemical pesticides the last resort. Also stop using organophosphates and pyrethroids inside the home.

Learn more at: http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/