Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T23:36:27.816Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pesticides

A Case Domain for Environmental Neuroethics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2017

LAURA Y. CABRERA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

There is growing evidence about the influence of chemical exposures on specific molecular systems and mechanisms involved in cognitive and mental function. Evidence is also emerging about the negative impact of these chemical exposures on mental health, including depression, suicide, and other risks. Despite the growing appreciation of these factors, however, little attention has been paid to the ethical and social implications of their interactions. Drawing on recent work that argues for an environmental neuroethics approach that explicitly brings together ethics, environment, and conditions of the central nervous system, this article focuses on these critical issues for pesticides specifically.

Keywords

neuroethicsbrain and mental healthpesticidesenvironmental neuroethicshuman rightspolicy
Type
Articles
Information
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics , Volume 26 , Special Issue 4: Clinical Neuroethics , October 2017 , pp. 602 - 615
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Notes

1. Alavanja, MCR, Hoppin, JA, Kamel, F. Health effects of chronic pesticide exposure: Cancer and neurotoxicity. Annual Review of Public Health 2004;25:155–97.Google Scholar

2. Korrick, SA, Sagiv, SK. Polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides and neurodevelopment. Current Opinion in Pediatrics 2008;20:198–204.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

3. See note 1, Alavanja et al. 2004.

4. Grandjean, P, Landrigan, PJ. Developmental neurotoxicity of industrial chemicals. The Lancet 2006;368:2167–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

5. Grandjean, P. Only One Chance: How Environmental Pollution Impairs Brain Development – and How to Protect the Brains of the Next Generation. New York: Oxford University Press 2013.Google Scholar

6. Kamel, F, Hoppin, JA. Association of pesticide exposure with neurologic dysfunction and disease. Environmental Health Perspectives 2004;112:950–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

7. Miodovnik, A. Environmental neurotoxicants and developing brain. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine 2011;78:58–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

8. Wesseling, C, Keifer, M, Ahlbom, A, McConnell, R, Moon, JD, Rosenstock, L, et al. Long-term neurobehavioral effects of mild poisonings with organophosphate and n-methyl carbamate pesticides among banana workers. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health 2002;8:27–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

9. Eskenazi, B, Huen, K, Marks, A, Harley, KG, Bradman, A, Barr, DB, et al. PON1 and neurodevelopment in children from the CHAMACOS study exposed to organophosphate pesticides in utero. Environmental Health Perspectives 2010;118:1775–81.Google Scholar

10. Boucher, O, Simard, MN, Muckle, G, Rouget, F, Kadhel, P, Bataille, H, et al. Exposure to an organochlorine pesticide (chlordecone) and development of 18-month-old infants. Neurotoxicology 2013;35:162–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

11. Thompson PB. The emergence of food ethics. Food Ethics 2016;1:61–74.

12. Elliott, KC. Is a Little Pollution Good for You? Incorporating Societal Values in Environmental Research. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press; 2011.Google Scholar

13. Resnik, DB. Environmental Health Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2012.Google Scholar

14. Resnik, DB. Human health and the environment: In harmony or in conflict? Health Care Analysis 2009;17:261–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

15. Cabrera, LY, Tesluk, J, Chakraborti, M, Matthews, R, Illes, J. Brain matters: from environmental ethics to environmental neuroethics. Environmental Health 2016;15:1–5.Google Scholar

16. Illes, J, Davidson, J, Matthews, R. Environmental neuroethics: Changing the environment—changing the brain. Recommendations submitted to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. Journal of Law and the Biosciences 2014;1:221–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

17. See Note 15, Cabrera et al. 2016.

18. Bouchard, MF, Chevrier, J, Harley, KG, Kogut, K, Vedar, M, Calderon, N, et al. Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides and IQ in 7-year-old children. Environmental Health Perspectives 2011;119:1189–95.Google Scholar

19. Eskenazi, B, Marks, AR, Bradman, A, Harley, K, Barr, DB, Johnson, C, et al. Organophosphate pesticide exposure and neurodevelopment in young Mexican-American children. Environmental Health Perspectives 2007;115:792–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

20. See note 9, Eskenazi et al. 2010.

21. Harari, R, Julvez, J, Murata, K, Barr, D, Bellinger, DC, Debes, F, et al. Neurobehavioral deficits and increased blood pressure in school-age children prenatally exposed to pesticides. Environmental Health Perspectives 2010;118:890–6.Google Scholar

22. Quirós-Alcalá, L, Alkon, AD, Boyce, WT, Lippert, S, Davis, NV, Bradman, A, et al. Maternal prenatal and child organophosphate pesticide exposures and children’s autonomic function. Neurotoxicology 2011;32(5):646–55.Google Scholar

23. See note 2, Korrick, Sagiv 2008.

24. See note 4, Grandjean, Landrigan 2006.

25. See note 21, Harari et al. 2010.

26. Roberts, EM, English, PB, Grether, JK, Windham, GC. Somberg, L, Wolff, C. Maternal residence near agricultural pesticide applications and autism spectrum disorders among children in the California Central Valley. Environmental Health Perspectives 2007;115:1482–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

27. Shelton, JF, Geraghty, EM, Tancredi, DJ, Delwiche, LD, Schmidt, RJ, Ritz, B, et al. Neurodevelopmental disorders and prenatal residential proximity to agricultural pesticides: The CHARGE Study. Environmental Health Perspectives 2014122:1103–9.Google Scholar

28. Rossignol DA, Genuis SJ, Frye RE. Environmental toxicants and autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review. Translational Psychiatry 2014;4:e360.

29. See note 18, Bouchard 2011.

30. See note 9, Eskenazi et al. 2010.

31. Rauh, V, Arunajadai, S, Horton, M, Perera, F, Hoepner, L, Barr, DB, et al. Seven-year neurodevelopmental scores and prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos, a common agricultural pesticide. Environmental Health Perspectives 2011;119:1196–201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

32. Bellinger, D.C. A strategy for comparing the contributions of environmental chemicals and other risk factors to neurodevelopment of children. Environmental Health Perspectives 2012;120:501–7.Google Scholar

33. Engel, SM, Berkowitz, GS, Barr, DB, Teitelbaum, SL, Siskind, J, Meisel, SJ, et al. Prenatal organophosphate metabolite and organochlorine levels and performance on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale in a multiethnic pregnancy cohort. American Journal of Epidemiology 2007;165:1397–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

34. Ribas-Fitó, N, Torrent, M, Carrizo, D, Julvez, J, Grimalt, JO, Sunyer, J. Exposure to hexachlorobenzene during pregnancy and children’s social behavior at 4 years of age. Environmental Health Perspectives 2007;115:447–50.Google Scholar

35. See note 28, Rossignol et al. 2014.

36. See note 4, Grandjean, Landrigan 2006.

37. Trasande, L, Zoeller, RT, Hass, U, Kortenkamp, A, Grandjean, P, Myers, JP, et al. Estimating burden and disease costs of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the European Union. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2015;100:1245–55.Google Scholar

38. See note 37, Trasande et al. 2015.

39. Sandberg, A, Bostrom, N. Converging cognitive enhancements. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2006;1093:201–27.Google Scholar

40. Risher, JF, Todd, DG, Meyer, D, Zunker, CL. The elderly as a sensitive population in environmental exposures: Making the case. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 2010;207:95–157.Google Scholar

41. See note 40, Risher et al. 2010.

42. Ginsberg, G, Hattis, D, Russ, A, Sonawane, B. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors that can affect sensitivity to neurotoxic sequelae in elderly individuals. Environmental Health Perspectives 2005;113:1243–9.Google Scholar

43. See note 42, Ginsberg et al. 2005.

44. Grossman E. Time after time: Environmental influences on the aging brain. Environmental Health Perspectives 2014;122:A238–43.

45. Pearson, BL, Simon, JM, McCoy, ES, Salazar, G, Fragola, G, Zylka, M. Identification of chemicals that mimic transcriptional changes associated with autism, brain aging and neurodegeneration. Nature Communications 2016;7:11173.Google Scholar

46. See note 1, Alavanja et al. 2004.

47. Elbaz A, Clavel J, Rathouz PJ, Moisan, F, Galanaud, JP, Delemotte B, et al. Professional exposure to pesticides and Parkinson disease. Annals of Neurology 2009;66:494–504.

48. Corder, EH, Mellick, GD. Parkinson’s disease in relation to pesticide exposure and nuclear encoded mitochondrial complex I gene variants. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology 2006;2006:1–8.Google Scholar

49. Hancock, DB, Martin, ER, Mayhew, GM, Stajich, JM, Jewett, R, Stacy, MA, et al. Pesticide exposure and risk of Parkinson’s disease: A family-based case-control study. BMC Neurology 2008;8:521.Google Scholar

50. Parrón, T, Requena, M, Hernández, AF, Alarcón, R. Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and neurodegenerative diseases. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 2011;256:379–85.Google Scholar

51. Yan, D, Zhang, Y, Liu, L, Yan, H. Pesticide exposure and risk of Alzheimer’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports 2016;6:32222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

52. See note 44, Grossman 2014.

53. Bosma H, van Boxtel MPJ, Ponds RWHM, Houx PJ, Jolles J. Pesticide exposure and risk of mild cognitive dysfunction. The Lancet 2000;356:912–3.

54. Kim, S, Lee, Y, Lee, H, Jacobs, DR, Lee, D. Greater cognitive decline with aging among elders with high serum concentrations of organochlorine pesticides. PLoS One 2015;10(6):e0130623.Google Scholar

55. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The State of Aging and Health in America 2013. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Merck Company Foundation; 2013.

56. Daniels, N. Just Health. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2008.Google Scholar

57. See note 1, Alavanja et al. 2004.

58. Beseler, C, Stallones, L, Hoppin, JA, Alavanja, MCR, Blair, A, Keefe, T, et al. Depression and pesticide exposures in female spouses of licensed pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study cohort. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2006;48:1005–13.Google Scholar

59. See note 8, Wesseling et al. 2002.

60. See note 1, Alavanja et al. 2004.

61. Beard, JD, Umbach, DM, Hoppin, JA, Richards, M, Alavanja, MCR, Blair, A, et al. Pesticide exposure and depression among male private pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study. Environmental Health Perspectives 2014;122:984–91.Google Scholar

62. Beard, JD, Umbach, DM, Hoppin, JA, Richards, M, Alavanja, MCR, Blair, A, et al. Suicide and pesticide use among pesticide applicators and their spouses in the agricultural health study. Environmental Health Perspectives 2011;119:1610–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

63. See note 58, Beseler et al. 2006.

64. Dinham, B, Malik, S. Pesticides and human rights. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health 2003;9(1):40–52.Google Scholar

65. See note 64, Dinham, Malik 2003.

66. Wesseling, C. Human rights and environmental justice in pesticide issues: Examples of inequities from Central America. Epidemiology 2005;16:S72.

67. See note 64, Dinham, Malik 2003.

68. See note 21, Harari et al. 2010.

69. United Nations Environmental Programme. Stockholm Declaration; UNEP, 1972.

70. Boyle, AE, Anderson, MR. Human Rights Approaches to Environmental Protection. Edinburgh: Clarendon Press; 1996.Google Scholar

71. Düwell, M, Bos, G. Human rights and future people—Possibilities of argumentation. Journal of Human Rights 2016;15:231–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

72. Humphreys, S. Human Rights and Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2010.Google Scholar

73. See note 64, Dinham, Malik 2003.

74. See note 69, United Nations Environmental Programme 1972.

75. Ksentini, FZ. Review of Further Developments in Fields with which the Sub-Commission Has Been Concerned: Human Rights and the Environment. Geneva: Commission on Human Rights; 1994.Google Scholar

76. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. Aarhus, Denmark: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; 1998.Google Scholar

77. Boyle, AE. Human Rights and the Environment: A Reassessment. Fordham Environmental Law Review 2007;18:471–511.Google Scholar

78. Freeman M. Human Rights. Cambridge: Polity; 2011.

79. Carson R. Silent Spring. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2002.

80. European Commission. Commission Decision of 10 March 2004 Concerning the Non-inclusion of Atrazine in Annex I to Council Directive 91/414/EEC and the Withdrawal of Authorisations for Plant Protection Products Containing this Active Substance, 2004/248/EC. Official Journal of the European Union 2004;L78:53-5.

81. See note 64, Dinham, Malik 2003.

82. See note 1, Alavanja et al. 2004.

83. Adler, MD. Against “individual risk”: A sympathetic critique of risk assessment. University of Pennsylvania Law Review 2005;153(4):1121–50.Google Scholar

84. European Food Safety Authority. The 2013 European Union report on pesticide residues in food. EFSA Journal 2015;13:4038.

85. Tago D, Andersson H, Treich N. Pesticides and health: A review of evidence on health effects, valuation of risks, and benefit-cost analysis. In: Blomquist GC, Bolin K., eds. Preferences Measurement in Health. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2014;24:203–95.

86. Environmental Protection Act. Children Are at Greater Risks from Pesticide Exposure. Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency; 2002.

87. Environmental Protection Act. Assessing Human Health Risk from Pesticides. Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency; 2016.

88. See note 4, Grandjean, Landrigan 2006.

89. Lanphear, BP. The impact of toxins on the developing brain. Annual Review of Public Health 2015;36:211–30.Google Scholar

90. Slimak, MW, Dietz, T. Personal values, beliefs, and ecological risk perception. Risk Analysis 2006;26:1689–1705.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

91. Slovic P. The Perception of Risk. London: Routledge; 2000.

92. Grandjean, P, Landrigan, PJ. Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity. The Lancet Neurology 2014;13:330–8.Google Scholar

93. Environmental Protection Agency. Tox21 Toxicology Testing in the 21st Century, December 2016; available at https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/toxicology-testing-21st-century-tox21 (last accessed 13 Feb 2017).

94. Barański, M, Średnicka-Tober, D, Volakakis, N, Seal, C, Sanderson, R, Stewart, GB, et al. Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses. British Journal of Nutrition 2014;112:794–811.Google Scholar

95. See note 85, Tago et al. 2014.

96. Consumer Report. Eat the Peach, Not the Pesticide, 2015; available at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/health/natural-health/pesticides/index.htm (last accessed 12, Feb 2017)

97. Resnik DB, Portier CJ. Environment and health. In: From Birth to Death and Bench to Clinic: Bioethics Briefing Book. Garrison, NY: The Hastings Center; 2008:59–62.

98. See note 5, Grandjean 2013.

99. See note 4, Grandjean, Landrigan 2006.

100. See note 1, Alavanja et al. 2004.

101. See note 6, Kamel, Hoppin 2004.

102. Oreskes N, Conway EM. Merchants of Doubt. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing USA; 2010.