Prenatal Exposure to Pesticide Chlorpyrifos Linked to Brain Abnormalities
Introduction
Prenatal exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos has raised growing concern among scientists, health professionals, and policymakers due to mounting evidence linking it to abnormalities in brain development and long-term cognitive deficits in children. Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate pesticide widely used in agriculture to control insects on crops such as corn, soybeans, fruits, and vegetables, has been under scrutiny for decades because of its neurotoxic properties. Although initially designed to target the nervous systems of pests, research increasingly demonstrates that even low-level exposure during critical stages of fetal development can interfere with the growth and organization of the human brain.