In Ecuador, researchers find that children who live near flower plantations have higher blood pressure around harvest time. However, in these horticultural farms, pesticides are widely used.
Flowers are meant to beautify everyday life, but products sprayed on their petals can have the opposite effect. In Ecuador, researchers have found that children who live near horticultural farms suffer from high blood pressure at harvest time. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research.
A massive production of flowers for export
Ecuador is the third exporting country of flowers in the world, after the Netherlands and Colombia. Certain times of the year are particularly busy for production, such as Mother’s Day, for example. They coincide with the mass spraying of pesticides to protect the flowers before they are shipped around the world. Researchers at the California School of Medicine in San Diego looked at the health of children living near flower fields. They worry about the impact of pesticides on their health.
Higher blood pressure within 81 days of harvest
313 children aged 4 to 9 years were recruited for this research. Doctors examined them up to 100 days after harvesting flowers for Mother’s Day. “We found that children examined just after the harvest for Mother’s Day had the highest levels of pesticide exposure, explains lead author Jose Suarez, and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, in comparison. to children examined later”. Children examined within 81 days of harvest were three times more likely to suffer from hypertension than those examined between 91 and 100 days later.
An impact on cognitive functions
Previous research conducted by the same team showed that the cognitive abilities of children were modified during harvest: they had more difficulty performing tasks that require attention, less ability to control themselves or motor function disorders. and sensory. For Jose Suarez, these new results are a reminder of the importance of reducing exposure to pesticides for children and families who live near agricultural areas.
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