| Background. Large-scale agricultural industry is estimated to account for about half of the increase in pesticide use in developing countries. Few data exist regarding the effects of pesticide exposure in corporate agriculture on neurobehavioral development in young children. This preliminary study assesses the association between risk factors for pesticide exposure and neurobehavioral development of young children in a major cut-flower growing region of Ecuador.; Methods. Children aged 3--61 months residing in three communities were administered the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, and height, weight and hemoglobin measures were obtained. Targeted developmental tests were administered to a sub-set of children. Information was collected on maternal health, maternal work, home environment, and child health and behavior characteristics. Multiple linear and logistic regressions were conducted to assess the impact of community-level, prenatal, and early childhood exposure.; Results. Overall, 263 children were included in the analyses. High frequencies of developmental delay were observed in the population. Residence in high exposure communities was associated with lower scores on gross motor, fine motor, and socio-individual skills. Maternal employment in the flower industry during pregnancy was negatively associated with communication and fine motor skills and was also associated with poor visual acuity in infants. Among older children, contact with irrigation water was negatively associated with fine motor, problem solving, and visual motor integration skills. Longer time spent playing outdoors was associated with worse gross and fine motor and problem solving skills. In contrast, current maternal employment in the flower industry was associated with higher communication and problem solving skills.; Conclusions. We found differences in neurobehavioral development based on the community of residence of the child. Results suggest an association between prenatal exposure to pesticides through maternal employment in the flower industry and delayed development in infants. Results also suggest that risk factors for pesticide exposure in the residential environment affect development in older children, with contact with irrigation water of particular concern. Corporate agriculture may increase risk of neurodevelopmental delay through prenatal pesticide exposure and environmental contamination while indirectly promoting healthy development, perhaps by providing health care to workers' families, relatively higher salaries, and daycare options. |
