University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, England.
Environ Health. 2012 Jun 28;11 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S5. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-11-S1-S5.
Organophosphate pesticides are widely used on food crops grown in the EU. While they have been banned from indoor use in the US for a decade due to adverse health effects, they are still the most prevalent pesticides in the EU, with Chlorpyrifos (CPF) being the most commonly applied. It has been suggested CPF affects neurodevelopment even at levels below toxicity guidelines. Younger individuals may be more susceptible than adults due to biological factors and exposure settings.
A literature review was undertaken to assess the evidence for CPF contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders in infants and children. Other literature was consulted in order to formulate a causal chain diagram showing the origins, uptake, and neurological effects of animal and human exposure to CPF.The causal chain diagram and a questionnaire were distributed online to scientific experts who had published in relevant areas of research. They were asked to assess their confidence levels on whether CPF does in fact contribute to adverse neurodevelopment outcomes and rate their confidence in the scientific evidence. A second questionnaire queried experts as to which kind of policy action they consider justifiable based on current knowledge. In a special workshop session at the EuroTox congress in Dresden in 2009 the results of both questionnaires were further discussed with invited experts, as a basis for a policy brief with main messages for policy makers and stakeholders.
Most experts who responded to the first questionnaire felt that there was already enough evidence to support a ban on indoor uses of CPF in the EU. However, most felt additional research is still required in several areas. The responses from the first questionnaire were used to formulate the second questionnaire addressing the feasibility of government action. In turn, these expert participants were invited to attend a special session at the EuroTox congress in Dresden in 2009.
Some of the evidence that CPF contributes to neurodevelopmental disorders is still disputed among experts, and the overall sense is that further research and public awareness are warranted. There have been campaigns in North America making the potential exposure concerns known, but such information is not widely known in the EU. The ability of government action to produce change is strongly felt in some quarters while others believe better knowledge of consumer use trends would have a greater impact.
有机磷农药在欧盟种植的食物作物中广泛使用。虽然它们因对健康的不良影响已在美国被禁止在室内使用十年，但它们仍然是欧盟最普遍使用的农药，其中毒死蜱（CPF）的应用最为广泛。有研究表明，即使在低于毒性指导方针的水平下，CPF 也会影响神经发育。由于生物学因素和暴露环境，年轻人比成年人更容易受到影响。
进行了文献综述，以评估 CPF 对婴儿和儿童神经发育障碍的影响的证据。为了制定一个因果关系图，展示动物和人类接触 CPF 的来源、吸收和神经效应，还查阅了其他文献。该因果关系图和问卷在线分发给在相关研究领域发表过文章的科学专家，请他们评估 CPF 是否确实会导致不良神经发育结果的置信度，并对他们对科学证据的置信度进行评分。第二个问卷询问专家，根据目前的知识，他们认为哪种政策行动是合理的。在 2009 年德累斯顿举行的欧洲毒理学大会的一个特别研讨会中，根据受邀专家的进一步讨论结果，对这两个问卷的结果进行了讨论，以便为政策制定者和利益相关者制定一份政策简报，提出主要信息。
大多数回应第一个问卷的专家认为，已经有足够的证据支持在欧盟禁止室内使用 CPF。然而，大多数人认为在几个领域仍需要进一步研究。第一个问卷的回答被用来制定第二个问卷，以解决政府行动的可行性。反过来，这些专家参与者被邀请参加 2009 年德累斯顿欧洲毒理学大会的一个特别会议。
一些 CPF 导致神经发育障碍的证据在专家中仍有争议，总体感觉是需要进一步研究和提高公众意识。在北美已经开展了一些活动，使人们了解潜在的暴露问题，但此类信息在欧盟并不广泛知晓。一些人强烈感受到政府行动改变的能力，而另一些人则认为更好地了解消费者使用趋势会产生更大的影响。
