Tejal Somvanshi

Pesticide Exposure in San Joaquin Valley of California: Study Finds Banned and Harmful Toxins in 22% of Residents’ Breathable Air

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A recent study conducted at UC Davis reveals that residents in California's San Joaquin Valley are inhaling various toxic pesticides, some of which are banned and have unknown health effects.

These toxic pesticides have been found to have adverse effects on children's learning development.

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Around 22% of adults and one child had detectable levels of at least one pesticide in the air they breathed.

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Detected chemicals included chlorpyrifos, a neurotoxic pesticide banned in California, in 2022, due to its harmful effects on children’s brain development.

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Lead author Prof. Deborah H. Bennett noted that findings show that pesticide exposure remains a concern in agricultural areas.

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The study was published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

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The study included 31 adults and 11 children equipped with an air-collecting backpacks.

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The experiment took over 92 days to collect all the samples.

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