Pesticides in Food Cause Brain Damage in Children

More Evidence of Harm

Two recent studies reveal that even tiny amounts of chlorpyrifos, a common pesticide that leaves residues on produce, can cause brain damage in unborn and developing children. This exposure occurs from consuming fresh fruits and vegetables that have been treated with this toxic insecticide.

The latest review into Autism has ignored the effects of pesticides in the development of this and related diseases. Exposure to small amounts of pesticides in food can harm the brain’s normal development, leading to a range of serious issues observed in children, including autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and other developmental and behavioral challenges.

Brain Damage and IQ Reductions in Children

The two most recent studies clearly show brain damage in children.

A cohort study of 270 youths aged 6 to 14 years found that progressively higher prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF) was significantly associated with progressively greater alterations in brain structure, function, and metabolism, as well as progressively poorer measures of motor speed and motor programming.

The study showed that prenatal CPF exposure is connected to long-term changes in brain development and behavior. The MRI brain scan images above clearly show damage in the yellow and red areas. [1]

The second study looked at the effects on offspring exposed to chlorpyrifos through their pregnant mothers. The researchers found that it causes long-lasting changes in sleep-related breathing patterns and inflammation in the hippocampus. They stated, “The results support the hypothesis that adult sleep and brain inflammation phenotypes may be modulated by early-life chemical exposures during pregnancy and lactation.” [2]

Studies conducted independently by researchers at Columbia University’s Center for Children’s Environmental Health, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine found that fetal exposure to small amounts of organophosphate pesticides caused a range of brain abnormalities, leading to children with reduced IQs, diminished attention spans, and increased vulnerability to ADHD [3,4,5].

The study by Rauh et al., published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, confirmed previous findings. The researchers used MRI scans that showed a wide range of visible brain abnormalities in children exposed to CPF in utero through standard, nonoccupational means [6]. These can be clearly seen in the image below.

Autism

Autism has reached epidemic levels in the U.S. The chart below clearly shows the link between the sharp rise in glyphosate use, mainly due to the widespread adoption of GMOs since the 1990s, and the increase in these diseases.

Researchers have demonstrated how small exposures to glyphosate harm normal nerve development.

The image above illustrates how glyphosate damages nerve development. The cells exposed to glyphosate had shorter, unbranched axons (the long ‘arms’ of the nerve) and less complex dendritic arbors (the smaller ‘fingers’ extending from the cell body). It is clear from the image that the glyphosate-exposed cells do not develop properly and, therefore, cannot function effectively. [8]

Scientists have identified how glyphosate affects nerve development and confirmed that these effects cannot be reversed. The main concern is that the brain, the largest nerve network in the human body, continues developing in the unborn, newborn, and growing children. Even small amounts of glyphosate in food can harm normal brain development, leading to significant issues such as autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and other developmental and behavioral problems.

The Special Needs of Children, the Developing Fetus, and Newborns

Many scientific researchers have voiced concerns that current methods for testing pesticides and toxins, including vaccines, are severely inadequate for children. The U.S. President’s Cancer Panel (USPCP) report, written by leading scientists and medical experts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Cancer Institute, stated, “They (children) are at special risk due to their smaller body mass and rapid physical development, both of which magnify their vulnerability to known or suspected carcinogens, including radiation.” [9]

This is a critical issue because extensive research shows that both the fetus and the newborn are constantly exposed to various chemicals, including pesticides, plasticizers, heavy metals like mercury, neurotoxins such as aluminum and fluoride, and endocrine disruptors.

The USPCP stated, “Some of these chemicals are found in maternal blood, placental tissue, and breast milk samples from pregnant women and mothers who recently gave birth. These findings indicate that chemical contaminants are being passed on to the next generation, both prenatally and during breastfeeding. Numerous environmental contaminants can cross the placental barrier; to a disturbing extent, babies are born ‘pre-polluted.’ Children also can be harmed by genetic or other damage resulting from environmental exposures sustained by the mother (and in some cases, the father). There is a critical lack of knowledge and appreciation of environmental threats to children’s health and a severe shortage of researchers and clinicians trained in children’s environmental health” [9].

The information from USCP clearly shows that current regulatory systems have failed to protect unborn and developing children from exposure to many toxic pesticides and other chemicals. This failure has serious consequences, especially with the increase of various major health problems in children and later as adults.

Developmental Neurotoxicity

Scientific research shows that many pesticides affect the development of the nervous system in fetuses and children. Several pesticides, such as organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids, cause serious harm because they are designed to target nervous systems. This is known as a neurotoxin—or, in simple terms, a nerve poison.

The brain is the largest group of nerve cells, and many scientific studies show that when a fetus and newborn are exposed to small amounts of these pesticides—below the current ‘safe’ limits set by regulatory authorities—they can significantly impact brain function. [10]

A major consequence is developmental neurotoxicity, where the poison harms the developing nervous system. This harm disrupts the normal growth of the brain and other parts of the nervous system, such as the auditory nerves, optic nerves, and autonomic nervous system, resulting in lower IQs, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, poor physical coordination, anger management issues, bipolar/schizophrenia spectrum disorders, depression, and problems with eyesight and hearing.

The brain damage shown in the images above resulted from mothers consuming fresh fruits, vegetables, and cereals commonly found in the North American diet, which contains regulated ‘safe’ pesticide residues like chlorpyrifos and glyphosate. This shows that exposure to chemicals at levels well below current permissible residues can harm a fetus and breastfeeding infants, even if the mother does not experience any adverse effects from the exposure.

Pesticide and Chemical Residues in Food are not Safe

Eating food with pesticide and chemical residues can harm young children because their nervous systems are still developing.

Some of the most concerning studies indicate that pesticide damage can be passed down to future generations. Not only are offspring born with damage to the nervous system, reproductive system, and other organs, but great-grandchildren can also be affected as well [11, 12, 13].

Researchers in a 2012 study discovered that pregnant rats and mice exposed to the fungicide vinclozolin during fetal reproductive development showed significant increases in spermatogenic cell defects, testicular abnormalities, prostate abnormalities, kidney abnormalities, and polycystic ovarian disease in future generations.

Another study showed that when pregnant rats were exposed to a combination of permethrin, a common insecticide, and DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), the most common insect repellent, there was an increase in pubertal abnormalities, testis disease, and ovarian disease (including primordial follicle loss and polycystic ovarian disease) in future generations.

The studies above show that small exposures to pesticides and toxic chemicals—such as adjuvants and preservatives in vaccines—during critical periods of fetal development can cause various diseases that might be passed down to future generations. This implies that pregnant women consuming food with trace amounts of pesticides and biologically active chemicals—like food dyes, preservatives, and other synthetic additives—may unintentionally expose their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to irreversible damage to their reproductive systems and other organs.

Exposure to pesticides and neurotoxins is one of the worst forms of child abuse

What kind of cruel society poisons its children instead of giving them the best start in life? [14]

As a society we need to assure parents can safeguard their children by providing a nutritious, organic, whole food diet and avoiding exposure to synthetic toxins. Many studies demonstrate the benefits of an organic diet, especially in reducing pesticide levels in children’s bodies. I have published an article on our website https://regenerationinternational.org/2025/07/10/organic-food-protecting-our-children/ that explains why organic foods are the best choice for our health and our children’s health.

Buying organic whole foods instead of highly processed ones is more affordable. It offers better value because it contains more essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, that are crucial for health. Highly processed foods are mostly refined carbohydrates and sugar that lack essential nutrients and are packed with toxic preservatives, colorings, surfactants, plasticizers, pesticides, and other harmful chemicals.

Switching to a diet of organic whole foods not only saves money, but also ensures a healthier future for our families.

References

1. Bradley S. Peterson, Sahar Delavari, Ravi Bansal, Siddhant Sawardekar, Chaitanya Gupte, Howard Andrews, Lori A.Hoepner, Wanda Garcia,Frederica Perera, and Virginia Rauh, (2025) Brain Abnormalities in Children Exposed Prenatally to the Pesticide Chlorpyrifos, JAMA Neurology, Published online August 18, 2025.
2. Miglioranza E, Rullo L, Alvente S, Bastianini S, Coraci D, Lo Martire V, et al. (2025) Long lasting effects of perinatal exposure to the Chlorpyrifos pesticide on sleep, breathing, and neuroinflammation in adult mice. PLoS One 20(8): e0328581. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328581
3. Rauh, Virginia, Srikesh Arunajadai, Megan Horton, Frederica Perera, Lori Hoepner, Dana B. Barr, and Robin Whyatt. “7-year neurodevelopmental scores and prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos, a common agricultural insecticide.” Environmental Health Perspectives, 119 (2011): 1196–1201. Published online April 21, 2011.
4. Pastor, Patricia N. and Cynthia A. Reuben, “Diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disability: United States, 2004–2006.” National Center for Health Statistics, Vital and Health Statistics, 10, no. 237 (July 2008): 1–14.

5. Engel, Stephanie M., James Wetmur, Jia Chen, Chenbo Zhu, Dana Boyd Barr, Richard L. Canfield, and Mary S. Wolff. “Prenatal exposure to organophosphates, paraoxonase 1, and cognitive development in children.” Environmental Health Perspectives 119 (2011): 1182–1188. Published online April 21, 2011, http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1003183/

6. Rauh, Virginia, Frederica P. Perera, Megan K. Horton, Robin M. Whyatt, Ravi Bansal, Xuejun Hao, Jun Liu, Dana Boyd Barr, Theodore A. Slotkin, and Bradley S. Peterson. “Brain anomalies in children exposed prenatally to a common organophosphate pesticide.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109, no. 20 (May 2012): 7871–7876.
7. Nancy L. Swanson, Andre Leu, Jon Abrahamson, and Bradley Wallet, Genetically engineered crops, glyphosate and the deterioration of health in the United States of America, Journal of Organic Systems, 9(2), 2014
8. Romina P. Coullery, María E. Ferrari, Silvana B. Rosso, Neuronal development and axon growth are altered by glyphosate through a WNT non-canonical signaling pathway, NeuroToxicology 52 (2016) 150–161
9. “U.S. President’s Cancer Panel 2008–2009 Annual Report; Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now.” Suzanne H. Reuben for the President’s Cancer Panel, U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, April 2010.

10. Qiao, Dan, Frederic Seidler, and Theodore Slotkin. “Developmental neurotoxicity of chlorpyrifos modeled in vitro: Comparative effects of metabolites and other cholinesterase inhibitors on DNA synthesis in PC12 and C6 cells.” Environmental Health Perspectives 109, no. 9 (September 2001): 909–913.
11. Manikkam, Mohan, Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna, Rebecca Tracey, Md. M. Haque, and Michael K. Skinner. “Transgenerational actions of environmental compounds on reproductive disease and identification of epigenetic biomarkers of ancestral exposures.” PLoS ONE 7, no. 2 (February 2012): e31901.

12. Manikkam, Mohan, Rebecca Tracey, Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna, and Michael K. Skinner. “Pesticide and insect repellent mixture permethrin and DEET induces epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease and sperm epimutations.” Journal of Reproductive Toxicology 34, no. 4 (December 2012): 708–719.

13. Guerrero-Bosagna, Carlos, Trevor R. Covert, Matthew Settles, Matthew D. Anway, and Michael K. Skinner. “Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of vinclozolin induced mouse adult onset disease and associated sperm epigenome biomarkers.” Reproductive Toxicology 34, no. 4 (December 2012): 694–707.

14. Leu, Andre. Poisoning Our Children: The Parents’ Guide to the Myths of Safe Pesticides. Acres U.S.A. Greely, Colorado, USA 2018, ISBN 978-1-601-73140-1.