Birth Defects and Pesticides

Since it is finally Spring here in GA I've been working outside a lot with our boys. They have been great little helpers pulling weeds and planting in our garden. This year we tried corn gluten as a pre-emergent weed control and fertilizer. I'm not sure it did a great job as far as weeds, but it definitely made our rye grass look great.
Anyway, I was cruising Web MD the other day and I saw this article that really made me think. This is the time of year when everyone is putting down their lawn chemicals for weeds and farmers are getting their crops ready. Many people have heard the correlation of birth defects, cancer etc. with people living on or near farms using traditional agriculture methods (chemical herbicides/pesticides). There is a new study out that says that it isn't just people in rural areas that are exposed to the chemicals. Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) sampled water in streams that feed nearly 50% of the nations drinking supply. The NAWQA found that pesticides were in their highest concentrations during the months of April through July. It was also determined that women who conceived during these months were 3% more likely to have a child with a birth defect, pregnancy complications or miscarriage. The babies conceived during this time were at a higher risk of a wide range of birth defects including Down syndrome, cleft palate, and spina bifida. The author of the study also said that 3% could also be a gross underestimation due to inconsistent recording of birth defects from state to state. I know what you are thinking. This is just another wacky study out there to make everyone be afraid and it doesn't really mean anything. The following quote from professor Paul D. Winchester, MD, is what really made me take this study more seriously: “This study does not prove that pesticides cause birth defects, but we set out to show that they did not and we were not reassured.” Something to think about for sure. Click the title of this post if you want to see the article on the study.