Pesticides sprayed on U.S. cities to fight Zika found to harm motor coordination and neuromuscular systems in children

‘Naled, a pesticide commonly used in Florida to ward off Zika-carrying mosquitoes, was associated with motor function deficits in Chinese babies, according to a study published in Environment International.
As part of the study, a team of researchers at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health and the U-M Center for Human Growth and Development examined umbilical cord blood samples from about 240 mothers between 2008 and 2011. The research team then followed the development of the babies using the Peabody Developmental Motor Skill Assessment at six weeks and nine months.
The experts found that in-vitro exposure to the pesticide naled was tied to a three to four percent decline in fine motor skills, which indicate small movements of hands, fingers, face, mouth and feet, at nine months for babies who belonged in the upper percentile compared with those who had lower exposure levels. The research team also found that the chemical appeared to have a more detrimental effect on girls compared with boys.’
Read more: Pesticides sprayed on U.S. cities to fight Zika found to harm motor coordination and neuromuscular systems in children