The Effect of Pesticide Exposure on Cognitive and Brain Development in Latino Children: PACE5 Administrative Supplement 2

人们越来越担心常用的杀虫剂对儿童有害。孩子们很快就会 经历认知、感觉和运动发育，并破坏正常成熟可能会有终生的 后果。现有的文献强烈表明，产前接触杀虫剂会导致异常 神经行为发育。最近的一项脑成像研究进一步表明，产前接触农药是 与大脑解剖发育受阻有关。然而，关于以下结果的结果 出生后接触杀虫剂的可能性要小得多。一些研究报告了神经行为缺陷。 在出生后接触杀虫剂，但同样许多研究报告没有负面后果。 目前还没有研究评估出生后接触杀虫剂对大脑发育的影响。 使用解剖学或功能性脑成像。关于出生后暴露对健康的影响的更确凿的研究 神经发育需要高度暴露的人群、纵向设计和仔细的量化 暴露和结果。我们建议对7岁的拉丁裔儿童进行一项两组前瞻性纵向研究 使用被动剂量学腕带每季度测量累积农药暴露的年龄 作为通过生活史技术记录产前和早期生命暴露的文件。来自拉丁裔的孩子 季节性农场工人家庭将与不参加农场工作的拉丁裔家庭的孩子进行比较 而不是生活在农业环境中。拉丁裔农场工人家庭的儿童面临特别高的风险 曝光率。不仅在他们低质量的住房中经常使用杀虫剂，而且他们还暴露在 附近农田中使用的农业杀虫剂，由父母/兄弟姐妹农场工人用衣服带回家。儿童 将随访2年，并在基线、1年和2年测量神经行为功能。 神经成像将在具有结构和功能大脑组织的参与者子组中进行 在基线和两年后进行评估。该项目的具体目标是：目标1：比较两年 拉丁裔季节性农场工人子女的纵向和产前/早期农药暴露 非农场工人的拉丁裔父母的孩子。目标2：比较两年纵向神经行为和 拉丁裔季节性农场工人子女与非拉丁裔农民子女的情绪和行为功能 不是农场工人的拉丁裔父母。目标3：比较两年的纵向解剖和功能脑 拉丁裔季节性农场工人的子女与非拉丁裔父母的子女之间的发育 农场工人。我们近二十年的环境正义(EJ)和社区参与式 对农场工人及其家人进行的农药暴露研究(CBPR)提供了一个有利的背景 让这些弱势群体参与一项具有科学和环境正义重要性的研究。

Concern is mounting that commonly used pesticides are detrimental to children. Children are rapidly undergoing cognitive, sensory, and motor development, and disruption of normal maturation can have life-long consequences. The extant literature strongly indicates that prenatal exposure to pesticides leads to abnormal neurobehavioral development. A recent brain imaging study further showed that prenatal pesticide exposure is associated with disrupted anatomical brain development. However, results concerning the consequences of postnatal pesticide exposure are much less conclusive. Some studies have reported neurobehavioral deficits following postnatal pesticide exposure, but just as many studies have reported no negative consequences. Currently there are no studies that assess the effects of postnatal pesticide exposure on brain development using anatomical or functional brain imaging. More conclusive research on the effects of postnatal exposure on neurodevelopment requires a highly exposed population, a longitudinal design, and careful quantification of exposure and outcomes. We propose a two-group, prospective, longitudinal study of Latino children 7 years of age with quarterly measurement of cumulative pesticide exposure using passive dosimetry wristbands as well as documentation of prenatal and early life exposure through life history techniques. Children from Latino seasonal farmworker families will be compared with children from Latino families not participating in farm work and not living in an agricultural environment. Children in Latino farmworker families are at particularly high risk of exposure. Not only are pesticides frequently used in their low quality housing, but they are also exposed to agricultural pesticides used in nearby fields brought home by parental/sibling farmworkers on clothing. Children will be followed for 2 years with measurement of neurobehavioral function at baseline, 1 year, and 2 years. Neuroimaging will be performed in a subset of participants with structural and functional brain organization assessed at baseline and two years later. Specific aims for this project are: Aim 1: Compare 2-year longitudinal and prenatal/early life pesticide exposure between children of Latino seasonal farmworkers and children of Latino parents who are not farmworkers. Aim 2: Compare 2-year longitudinal neurobehavioral and emotional and behavioral functioning among children of Latino seasonal farmworkers relative to children of Latino parents who are not farmworkers. Aim 3: Compare 2-year longitudinal anatomical and functional brain development between children of Latino seasonal farmworkers and children of Latino parents who are not farmworkers. Our nearly two decades of environmental justice (EJ) and community-based participatory research (CBPR) on pesticide exposure with farmworkers and their families provides an auspicious context to engage this vulnerable population in a study of both scientific and environmental justice importance.