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Pesticides are more dangerous to children than tobacco smoke
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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At the US State Research Institute in California, a group of scientists found out that pesticides are extremely dangerous for children's bodies, and the effect of toxic chemicals is much more destructive than that of tobacco smoke.
In their research, the experts analyzed the health of about 300 children from six months to five years old. All the children who took part in the study lived in the Salinas Valley, where they mainly grow vegetables, there are many farms here, so this region is considered one of the productive agricultural areas in California.
It has long been proven that pesticides (chemicals used by farmers to protect crops from pests) are very harmful to the human body, causing various health problems, including asthma, hormonal disorders, neurological diseases, cancer, and congenital abnormalities of the fetus.
But as scientists have found out, children living near fields where pesticides are applied are particularly vulnerable to chemicals. Parents returning home from work bring toxic substances on their clothes, which end up in children's lungs. The examination showed that children from the Salinas Valley had problems with the respiratory system, and all the children had lungs that were 8% smaller than normal.
The researchers compared the effects on children's bodies after inhaling tobacco smoke and found that children who were surrounded by smokers and who were forced to breathe in cigarette smoke had lungs that were 4% smaller.
In addition to the effects of pesticides on children, scientists have studied how chemicals affect pregnant women and found that after exposure to high doses of chemicals, women are more likely to give birth to mentally retarded children with signs of autism.
Having summed up the results of the research, the scientists urge parents to observe safety (wear different clothes while working in the fields, change clothes when returning home and, if possible, take a shower), and also to protect their children from visiting agricultural complexes.
Another study on children's health was recently conducted. Scientists found that exhaust fumes stop lung development. Children living in large cities had 10% less lung capacity.
This study lasted 6 years, during which time scientists analyzed the condition and changes in the lungs of more than 2 thousand children from different London schools and came to the conclusion that the level of air pollution directly affects the development of the lungs - the more harmful substances are present in the atmosphere, the worse the lungs develop, and this threatens problems with the respiratory system, in particular the development of asthma, bronchitis, etc. Also, heavy metals were found in the bodies of small experiment participants, which also get into the air with exhaust gases. It is worth noting that heavy metals are practically not excreted from the body, accumulating in tissues and organs, they can cause a number of serious health problems.
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