The condition is known as mild cognitive dysfunction. The study was conducted in the Netherlands and included more than 600 individuals who were frequently exposed to pesticides, usually while they worked. Pesticides have been garnering a great deal of attention in the Northeastern United States because of all the spraying to kill mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus. Environmentalists say the spraying is an overreaction to the problem, reports this New York Daily News article. And, some say the mosquito spray may be responsible for the deaths of millions of lobsters in Long Island Sound, reports this story from ABC News .
Researchers say the crustaceans are vulnerable, like insects, to the effects of pesticides.
When tested for the chemicals, however, no pesticide residue was found in the lobsters. While officials defend the West Nile spraying, it wouldn't be the first time a pesticide was thought safe and then later discovered to be hazardous. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently banned a common and very popular pesticide because it had the potential to harm the nervous system and affect brain development in children, reports this story from the American Academy of Pediatrics' magazine Healthy Kids .