The Brain: Reducing Exposure Matters

Healthcare facilities are designed to protect health. Pesticide exposure has been linked to mental, psychological, and neurological effects from prenatal development through adulthood. Facilities cannot control every environmental exposure their patients and staff encounter in life, but they can examine the ones that occur within their own walls and grounds.

A growing body of research raises considerable questions. Toxic-Free Healthcare's overview of pesticide exposure impacts on mental health highlights research examining associations between pesticide exposure and depression, anxiety, confusion, memory loss, and other mental and neurological concerns. In adults, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis found occupational pesticide exposure was associated with increased ALS risk. Research on pesticides and Parkinson's disease also continues to examine how certain environmental exposures may contribute to disease risk.

The research also spans different life stages, which is especially relevant in environments that serve diverse and potentially vulnerable populations. A study found that higher urinary concentrations of popular herbicides used on facility grounds, such as 2,4-D, were associated with poorer performance in attention and inhibitory control, memory and learning, and language in adolescents, while glyphosate (e.g., Roundup®) concentrations were associated with lower social perception scores. Separately, research on prenatal organophosphate exposure found differences in brain activation during tasks involving executive function. These findings add to a broader body of research examining the potential effects of pesticide exposure on brain health.

Pesticides are designed to negatively affect living organisms, and research continues to document potential adverse health effects associated with exposure to certain pesticides. For healthcare facilities, the practical question is: Where can we reduce exposure? Patients may arrive with neurological, developmental, or mental health concerns, and staff may have their own health vulnerabilities. When pest problems can be prevented or managed with non-toxic pest prevention/intervention, and least-toxic pesticides are considered only as a last resort, reducing unnecessary exposure can help limit an additional potential health burden for everyone receiving care, providing care, or visiting your facility.