Agricultural Pesticides: Children’s Health in Jeopardy – A Review

With increase in world population and industrialization coupled with the negative impacts of climate change, the use of agricultural pesticides has increased greatly. The extensive usage of pesticides in farming and residential areas has exposed millions of adults and children all over the world to the detrimental influence of the toxic chemicals. This has resulted into some devastating health challenges lasting the whole of a lifetime of the victims. Children are at a higher risk of exposure than adults. This is due to the fact that the majority of the pesticides usage globally is on fruits and veggies, hence, children are at risk of low-rate but continuous pesticide exposure. This study was therefore aimed at reviewing of the precarious impact of agricultural pesticides on the health of children. The reviews showed that neonatal exposure to agricultural pesticides is responsible for birth defects, cognitive deficits and childhood cancer in children. Also, postnatal exposure to agricultural pesticides has been implicated in children’s respiratory and nervous system diseases. The effect is more on the nervous system. Agricultural pesticides have also been linked to different types of cancer in children. Promotion of integrated farming will be a policy option in other to protect children from hazardous effects of agricultural pesticides