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03 Nov 08
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Many pesticides used in the European Union may damage brain growth in fetuses and young children
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Philippe Grandjean of the Havard School of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark told Reuters.
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"Laboratory experimental studies using model compounds suggest that many pesticides currently used in Europe...can cause neuro-developmental toxicity," Grandjean and two colleagues in Denmark wrote in the journal Environmental Health.
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The study focused on the use of pesticides in the 27-nation EU, which is currently reviewing pesticide laws. It urged greater testing and caution in approving chemicals because of uncertainties about their effects
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"Many other countries are watching what the EU is doing...It should take these matters much more seriously than in the past," Grandjean said. Many pesticides used in the EU are also used in other nations.
Pesticides used on food crops in the EU exceed 140,000 tonnes a year, corresponding to 280 grams (10 ounces) per EU citizen, the study said.
More than 25 percent of fruits, vegetables, and cereals contain detectable residues of at least two pesticides.
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