ASSOCIATION BETEWEEN A RETROSPECTIVE GIS-BASED INDICATOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL PESTICIDE EXPOSURE AND NEURODEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN

Background: Many studies have associated prenatal and postnatal pesticides exposure with neurodevelopmental impairments in children. South-Eastern Spain has been characterized for decades as a region of intensive agriculture where large amounts of pesticides are used to increase crop fields. Aims: To evaluate the association between postnatal exposure to pesticides and neurodevelopmental deficits in children. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 268 children 6-12 year-old from an agricultural community in South-Easternof Spain. A questionnaire was applied to their mothers to obtain the residential history from birth to time of interview. Residential exposure of children to pesticides was assessed using a distance-weighted measure of agricultural surface as proposed by Cornellis et al (2009) with an influence radio of 0-250 m, 250-750 m, 750-2500 m and 2500-5000 m. Children’s addresses by year were geo-referenced taking into account residential history and circular rings with these radii were d...