Pesticides May Impact Human Nervous System

Recent research by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that Bee-harming and other pesticides may impact on the complex human nervous system.They hound that current safety guidelines for two pesticides—acetamiprid and imidacloprid—may be too lax to protect humans, especially the developing brains of unborn children.

 The finding is based on recent research published in PLoS ONE where scientists found that newborn rats exposed to the chemicals experienced movement issues, shrinking brains and weight loss.The EFSA recommends raising the safety limits of both the chemicals based on the research, though it notes that . However, the recommendation still has to be accepted by the European Commission.

Europe has recently installed a two-year partial ban on three neonicotinoids—imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam—due to research linking the pesticides to the collapse in bee colonies and other pollinators. Scientists have found that while the pesticides don't kill bees outright, they impact their nervous systems, altering behavior to such an extent that eventually whole colonies collapse.