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Impact of Pesticide Exposure on Cognition and Health in ChildrenPatricia Moulton, Ph.D. & Thomas Petros, Ph.D.Presentation at 2006 Annual Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health

Fargo, ND

March 23, 2006

Funding provided by the National Institute of Environmental and Health Science

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Center for Rural Health

• Established in 1980, at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Grand Forks, ND

• Focuses on:– Education, Training, & Resource Awareness– Community Development & Technical

Assistance– Native American Health– Rural Health Workforce– Rural Health Research– Rural Health Policy

• Web site: http://medicine.nodak.edu/crh

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Pesticide Research TeamUND Faculty CDC Pesticide Laboratory PhlebotomistsThomas Petros Dana Barr Sandie AntonsonPatricia Moulton Charles Dodson Kristi GroveRic Ferraro Ralph Whitehead Tara JohnsoSally Pyle Dawn KoryntaSue Offutt Naomi SterfSteve Hawthorne Tara WaldalRuth Paur

Graduate Students Undergraduate StudentsHolly Dannewitz Cassandra LeeMatt Garlinghouse Silje LynneShyla Muse Ashley OlsonMatthew Myrvik Bethany ReuterAnna Marie Carlson Christine WegnerJason Douglas Catherine WoellPatrick KerrKaryn PlummKristi SatherCaitlin SchultzJen Short

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What are Pesticides?• Herbicides• Insecticides• Rodenticides• Fungicides

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Pesticide Exposure and Cognitive Ability in Children

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Objectives of Current Study

1. Examine the impact of chronic routine exposure to pesticides on cognitive and motor performance in children between 7 and 12 years of age, including memory performance, executive function performance, motor performance, and performance on school-related achievement tests.

2. Measure the concentration of several pesticides and cholinesterase in the blood or urine in children between 7 and 12 years of age and examine associations between pesticide and cholinesterase concentration and cognitive and motor performance.

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Red River Valley

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Participants

Pesticide Group= 64 children and their parents living on or next to an active farm or field

Control Group= 64 Children and their parents living at least one mile from an active farm or field

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Physiological

Height and WeightBlood and Urine- pesticides, cholinesterase, trace minerals

Motor Cognitive

Grooved Pegboard Test WISC-IVBenton Visual Retention Test CVLT-CFinger Tapping Test Verbal Fluency TestHand-eye Coordination Test CPT

WCSTWIAT- 2nd ed- Reading &

Listening Comprehension

Measurements- Children

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Measurements- Parents

Cognitive Behavioral

WAIS-III Vocabulary & CBCLBlock Design ADHD Rating Scale-IV

Nutritional Status Developmental

NIH Diet History Questionnaire Tanner Pubertal Development TestFood Security module Developmental Milestones24-Hour Dietary Recall

Environmental

Pesticide use and exposure questionnaireSurveys on family and child medical history, sleep, occupation, income, education level

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Measurements- Teachers

Behavioral

Teacher Report Form for CBCLTeacher Report Form for ADHD Rating Scale-IV

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Preliminary Results

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Child Demographics

9.22 9.44

3.39 3.56

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Ave

rag

Age Grade

Pesticide Control

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Cholinesterase Concentrations

4.38 4.253.68

2.572.94

2.03

0

1

2

3

4

5

U/m

AChE PChE*

Pesticide Control Adult Blood Bank Donors

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Child IQ Composite Scores

98.38

103.64

97.87

105.23103.68

105.66

97.36

100.07

94.17

97.52

90

95

100

105

110

115

Com

posi

te S

co

Full Scale IQ* VerbalComprehension

Index**

PerceptualReasoning Index

Working MemoryIndex

ProcessingSpeed Index

Pesticide Control

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Verbal Comprehension Scores

9.67

11.17

9.7510.72

9.86

11.01

5 7 9 11 13 15Scaled Score

Similarities*

Vocabulary

Comprehension*

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Perceptual Reasoning Scores

10.64

10.96

11.03

10.88

10.47

10.97

5 7 9 11 13 15

Scaled Scores

Block Design

Picture Concepts

Matrix Reasoning

Pesticide Control

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Working Memory Scores

9.66

9.69

9.7

10.54

5 7 9 11 13 15

Scaled Scores

Digit Span

Letter-Number Sequence

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Processing Speed Scores

8.55

8.72

9.61

10.54

5 7 9 11 13 15

Scaled Scores

Coding

Symbol Search

Pesticide Control

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Parents Estimated Full Scale IQ

108.06 107.05

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Est

imat

ed F

ull S

ca

Pesticide Control

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Exposure Reduction Strategies

• Get informed at the National Pesticide Information Center at npic.orst.edu and at Toxtown toxtown.nlm.nih.gov.

• Co-exist by using universal precautions and preventing contact between chemicals and children.

• Replace chemicals with safer ones or use toxic chemicals as a last resort.

• Follow manufacturer’s instructions to help reduce overall exposure.

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For more information contact:

Center for Rural HealthUniversity of North Dakota

School of Medicine and Health SciencesGrand Forks, ND 58202-9037

Tel: (701) 777-3848

Fax: (701) 777-6779

http://medicine.nodak.edu/crh