Prenatal Pesticide Exposure Tied to ADHD Risk

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38763223/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

Children whose mothers were exposed to widely-used pesticides such as malathion during pregnancy may be at increased risk of developing an attention disorder by age 5, a new study reveals.

Researchers found that the risk of attention disorders rose with increasing levels of metabolites - substances created when pesticides breakdown - measured in a pregnant woman's urine.

This finding comes after a report published earlier this year by Harvard researchers who found that school-aged children exposed to organophosphates, one of the most common types of pesticides, were more likely to develop symptoms of attention deficit disorder.

Pregnant women who are concerned about these findings can lower the risk to their fetuses by carefully washing fresh fruits and vegetables before eating them, and eat organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible.

Experts do not advise avoiding fruits and vegetables all together. The risk created by not eating them would be greater than the risk from the pesticides.