Study finds common chemicals in electronics, baby products harm brain development

New Delhi, Oct 07 (ANI): Chemicals increasingly used as flame retardants and plasticizers pose a larger risk to children's brain development than previously thought, according to a new research. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Environmental Health Perspectives'. The research team reviewed dozens of human, animal, and cell-based studies and concluded that exposure to even low levels of the chemicals--called organophosphate esters--may harm IQ, attention, and memory in children in ways not yet looked at by regulators. The neurotoxicity of organophosphate esters used as nerve agents and pesticides is widely recognized, but the neurotoxicity of those used as flame retardants and plasticizers has been assumed to be low. Organophosphate esters continuously migrate out of products into air and dust.