Pesticides

Pesticides are chemicals or biological agents meant to control pests, including weeds, fungi, and insects. According to a Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment study, gestational pesticide exposure been linked to neurological disorders in children. Organochlorine pesticides such as DDT were among those pesticides studied to be potential endocrine disrupting compounds, in a systematic review of neurotoxicants that disproportionately affect males. Despite being barred from use in the U.S. in 1972, traces of DDT still show up in vegetables, meat, fish, and dairy products. DDT can build up in rivers, lakes, and coastal areas, which then accumulates in fish. A few products are still registered for use, including lindane, a organochlorine pesticide ingredient in a lice and scabies shampoo.