How do Pesticides Affect Children's Health May 2002 What are pesticides? Pesticides are products designed to kill pests (weeds, fungi, insects and rodents). All pesticides are poisons - otherwise they would not work! How do pesticides move around the environment? Drifts from sprays, evaporation, water runoff and movement into groundwater cause a large percentage of pesticides to miss their intended target. Canada and other countries have banned many persistent and toxic pesticides such as DDT. However, pesticides can be carried far from where they were used by global wind patterns, ocean currents and on food products, especially fruit and vegetables. Communities far away from the original application point can experience the hazards caused by transported pesticides. Communities in the Canadian Artic can be especially affected by drift of pollutants including pesticides. What are the health effects of children's exposure to pesticides? Children are particularly at risk from pesticide exposure because their immune, nervous and reproductive systems are not fully developed. Because children have a greater skin surface area for their size, breathe faster and eat and drink more per unit weight than adults, they often have higher exposures. Because children are closer to the ground and tend to pick up objects off the grass, carpet and floor and put them into their mouths, they tend to take in more pesticides than adults. Studies have found that children who are exposed to pesticides have a greater incidence of leukemia, brain cancer and soft tissue sarcoma. They may also experience learning disabilities and other neurological problems. Prenatal exposure to pesticides can occur if the mother is exposed. What can parents do to protect their children? Avoid exposure by the following means: Avoid using pesticides around the home unless it is absolutely necessary. Find alternative means of treating a pest problem without resorting to a chemical pesticide. Take off your shoes at the door, because they often pick up pesticides and other pollutants that you then carry into the home. DO NOT store pesticide products within the reach of children; if possible do not store pesticides in your home or garage at all - remember that these products are considered a hazardous waste. Try living with some minor pests: clover and dandelions are in no way hazardous to your health or the health of children. What has CICH done regarding pesticides? Information on pesticides was included in the third edition of The Health of Canada's Children: A CICH Profile. CICH has also made presentations to the Standing Committee on Health and the City of Ottawa and we participate in various expert committees. Our position has been that the cosmetic use of pesticides (when used simply to maintain completely green lawns for example) is not worth any risk to children. We are also concerned that warning labels be clear enough for parents to avoid accidents with children and to generally reduce the exposure to children. We have also asked that pesticide products be better tested for health impacts before they are released on the market. By: CICH Environment Cluster Back to CICH Communiqués About the Institute / Partnership Opportunities / Planned Giving / Projects & Activities / Resources & Publications / News Releases / CICH Communiqués / Links / Special Events / Coming Soon / Environmental Health / What's New / Site Map / French / Home If you have any comments about our website, please contact our webmaster. Last Reviewed: January 20, 2003 Copyright 2003