this study was design, it's actually
part of this larger study we have
called the charge study "Childhood Autism
Risks From Genes
and the Environment" and of course we've
published a number of different findings
over the
over the last few years I and we wanted
to pick up on this theme: about
 pesticides
and of course their different ways you
can be exposed to pesticides you can be
exposed to pesticides because
there's residues in your foods, you can
be exposed to pesticides because you
spray you've got problems
pest at home insects what-have-you
your spraying for
ants your putting out little baits or
your bringing in
you know these foggers or some
professional services who often use
the foggers
 and then you know that sprays into the
air it may
settle on surfaces it may settle into the
house dust
and get resuspended every time you can
walk around in your carpets.
I and then there's the applications that
may happen for commercial or
agricultural purposes
where there can be drift you know into
residential areas or you may live
actually very close to fields
 where there might be regular
spraying
and other kinds of applications so the
latest study here was in fact looking
at 
families who have a child with autism
families who have a child with typical
development
and families have a child with a
developmental delay other than autism
usually intellectual disability of
some type.
We mapped their homes from when they
lived
from from where they lived at the time
of the pregnancy
and and around the time of birth and
we were able to link those addresses
to a database on all of the commercial
most to the commercial
applications of pesticides in california
and
 we have a system where 
pesticide applicators are required to
report where they're
where they're applying what they're
applying the dates that they may be
application and how how much they
actually apply.
So it's a lot of information and we you
know we do that linkage because it's
we have the locations and were able to
there for
say you know people who are living 
roughly near these applications 
at the time when might say it was the
first trimester of the pregnancy or what
have you.
So what we saw was that there were
associations with several classes of
pesticides
 it included organa phosphate
pesticides. So organa phosphates are fairly
short-lived
they don't stick around too long at
least
that's what for the most part,
compared to some much longer lived ones
that we use to use
you know much more commonly in the 1950's, 60's
and so forth so we have these more
short-lived organa phosphates and then
we have 
another group called the
carbamates
and then the third group were the
pyrethroids
which are now more common
used and all three of them had some
association
with a higher risk for either autism or
for developmental delay.
Other types of developmental delay. 
It's actually this is actually a third
study that show some link with the
organa phosphates
and autism risk, but you know I think
it's an area that people do need to
think about both at the individual level
if they can make some choices it may
be worth it to them
you know I have certain things I
make choices about I don't use chemical
pesticides that are
 toxic I rely on the more you
know green approach.
I'm willing to, I know it takes some
time for a bit longer to get rid of,
 you know if you do that. It might
take 2-3 days you can't just eliminate
them the same day sometimes when you put
out like the little baits
or what have you and I'm willing to live
with that for an extra
 couple days where there might be
creepy crawly things.
