Organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) are widely used in Ethiopia for agricultural and household purposes, raising concerns about their potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health. This study investigated the occurrence of selected OPP residues in water from the Bahir-Dar, Gumara, Ribe, Megech, Gorgora, Sekelet, and Deke sites of Lake Tana and Lake Hayqe, and in fish (Nile tilapia from Lake Tana; Nile tilapia and common carp from Lake Hayqe), and assessed associated ecological and human health risks.

Publication date: Available online 3 October 2026 Source: Talanta Author(s): Marc López-Matarín, Lorena Manzano-Sánchez, Yang Zheng, Chen Wang, Maria Dolores Hernando, Amadeo R. Fernández-Alba, María Jesús Martínez-Bueno

Organophosphate esters (OPEs), bisphenols, benzophenones, and parabens are acknowledged as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and used as flame ret…

Farmworkers face disproportionate risks of metabolic syndrome with chronic exposure to organophosphate pesticides.

Researchers at the University of Arizona and Harvard University found that elevated levels of pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides within 500 meters of residences are associated with gestationa...

The Malathion Market was valued at US$1,014.52 million in 2025 and is projected to reach US$2,138.62 million by 2034, registering a CAGR of 8.64% during 2026–2034. The market is expanding due to rising demand for effective crop-protection chemicals, increasing agricultural productivity requirements, and growing efforts to control vector-borne diseases. Malathion is widely used as an organophosphate…

Chlorinated organophosphate esters (Cl-OPEs)—specifically tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), and tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP—are added t...

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are used in furniture, electronics, textiles and building materials. Because they are physically mixed in rather than chemically bound, they leach out continuously into air, dust and water. Once in aquatic environments, they are taken up by algae, ingested by small animals and passed up the food web. Some OPEs are known endocrine disruptors, neurotoxicants and carcinogens. Most research has focused on either marine or freshwater systems separately, leaving a critical gap: no one knew whether a chemical that dilutes in the ocean might magnify in a river – or the reverse. Given these uncertainties, a systematic cross‑ecosystem comparison became essential. A team from Changchun Normal University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted the first side‑by‑side comparison of OPE bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in contrasting aquatic food webs. The study, published (DOI: 10.1007/s11783-026-2275-9) in the journal ENGINEERING Environment (Volume 20, Issue 11, 2026), analysed 498 organisms representing 34 species collected from Liaodong Bay (marine) and the Songhua River (freshwater) in northeastern China. The researchers found striking differences. In the marine food web, tri‑n‑propyl phosphate (TPP) dominated, with median concentrations of 147 ng/g lipid weight. In the freshwater system, tris(2‑chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) was the most abundant,...

Dengue fever cases have spiked once again in Hillsborough County, which leads the state in the number of reported cases.

A study of gut microbiome alterations finds behavioral impacts on children associated with prenatal exposure to organophosphate chemicals.

A study published last month in the Journal of Xenobiotics suggests that toxicant exposures, such as heavy metals, organophosphate pesticides and tobacco smoke, probably stimulate epigenetic changes i...

The study examined the correlation between autism and exposure to pesticides among pregnant women.

A study of gut microbiome alterations finds behavioral impacts on children associated with prenatal exposure to organophosphate chemicals.

A study of 3,339 U.S. families found no link between typical organophosphate pesticide exposure during pregnancy and autism-related traits.

Chlorpyrifos and other organophosphate insecticides had no association at low exposure levels

Chlorpyrifos and other organophosphate insecticides had no association at low exposure levels

NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine Prenatal exposure to certain insecticides used in agriculture does not appear to be linked to social communication problems and other traits related to autism, a new study shows. Evidence over time has suggested that organophosphate pesticides, which work by interfering with the insect nervous system, increase children's risk for neurodevelopmental issues such as IQ loss, cognitive challenges, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, whether the chemicals may also contribute to autism-related traits has remained unclear. Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the study of pairs of mothers and children showed that nearly all mothers had detectable levels of organophosphate pesticides in their urine during pregnancy, yet the team found no significant relationship in the children between this exposure and traits related to autism. "While we know that that organophosphate pesticides can harm the developing brain, they were not a major driver of characteristics seen in autism at the relatively low exposure levels we observed," said study lead author Haleigh Cavalier, MPH, PhD. "These results should not be interpreted to mean that such pesticides are safe, nor do they rule out autism-related risks at higher exposures or among more vulnerable groups." Dr. Cavalier, who was a doctoral student at NYU Langone Health's Departments of Population Health and Pediatrics during the study, noted that outside agricultural or occupational settings, most Americans primarily encounter the insecticides when they eat fresh produce. One explanation for the results could be that the health benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables may partially offset the chemicals' potential impact on brain development. Scientists have identified several genetic markers linked to autism-related traits, but environmental factors that could play a role have remained hotly debated. Small studies of prenatal organophosphate-pesticide exposure have yielded inconsistent findings, with some investigations uncovering a connection while others did not. Publishing online Aug. 24 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the new assessment is the largest and most diverse of its kind to date that examines whether the insecticides might contribute to autism, the authors say. For the study, the research team analyzed data from 3,339 mother–child pairs enrolled at 20 medical centers in the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. This large, nationwide study made it possible to take into account many environmental, social, and biological factors that may shape children's health that past smaller could not. To assess prenatal exposure to the insecticides, the investigators measured levels of metabolites (the components into which the chemicals break down in the body) in urine samples collected during each pregnancy. The tests revealed that 99% of mothers had detectable levels of organophosphate pesticides in their urine. Then, the researchers looked for associations between these metabolite levels and the children's scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale, a 65-item questionnaire designed to identify social communication problems and autism-related traits. By rating such challenges on a spectrum, the tool could capture participants who had not been formally diagnosed with autism but displayed many of its common traits, such as avoidance of eye contact, difficulty understanding other people's emotions, and needing to follow certain routines. The participants were evaluated when they were 5 to 7 years old on average. "Our results demonstrate that there is still much more to be learned about autism," said study senior author Akhgar Ghassabian, MD, PhD. "Careful, long-term research can help clarify which environmental exposures matter most so that communities and policymakers can make more informed decisions." Dr. Ghassabian, an associate professor in the Pediatrics and Population Health Departments at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, says the researchers next plan to examine how other types of pesticides, as well as microplastics and other toxins, may contribute to autism. They also plan to assess how genes tied to the condition may interact with these environmental hazards. The authors caution that the metabolites measured in the study are short-lived in the human body, so they can vary over time. They are also influenced by each participant's metabolism. As a result, the markers might not provide a full picture of pesticide exposure. Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grants U2COD023375, U24OD023382, U24OD023319, U24OD035523, ES0266542, U24ES026539, U2CES026533, U2CES026542, U2CES030859, U2CES030857, U2CES026555, U2CES026561, U2CES030851, UH3OD023251, UH3OD023320, UG3OD035546, UH3OD023332, UH3OD023253, UH3OD023248, UH3OD023313, UH3OD023328, UH3OD023318, UH3OD023279, UH3OD023289, UH3OD023282, UH3OD023287, UH3OD023365, UH3OD023244, UH3OD023275, UH3OD023271, UG3OD035528, UH3OD023347, UH3OD023389, UH3OD023344, UH3OD023268, UH3OD023288, UH3OD023342, UH3OD023349, UH3OD023286, UG3OD035533, UH3OD023348, UH3OD023285, UH3OD023290, UH3OD023272, UH3OD023249, UH3OD023305, UH3OD023337, UG3OD035508, UG3OD035509, UG3OD035513, UG3OD035532, UG3OD035516, UG3OD035517, UG3OD035518, UG3OD035519, UG3OD035521, UG3OD035527, UG3OD035540, UG3OD035537, UG3OD035529, UG3OD035542, UG3OD035550, UG3OD035536, UG3OD035544, UH3OD023282, UH3OD023287, UH3OD023365, UH3OD023244, UH3OD023275, UH3OD023271, UG3OD035528, UH3OD023347, UH3OD023389, UH3OD023344, UH3OD023268, UH3OD023288, UH3OD023342, UH3OD023349, UH3OD023286, UG3OD035533, UH3OD023348, UH3OD023285, UH3OD023290, UH3OD023272, UH3OD023249, UH3OD023305, UH3OD023337, UG3OD035508, UG3OD035509, UG3OD035513, UG3OD035532, UG3OD035516, UG3OD035517, UG3OD035518, UG3OD035519, UG3OD035521, UG3OD035527, UG3OD035540, UG3OD035543, UG3OD035537, UG3OD035529, UG3OD035542, UG3OD035550, UG3OD035536, and UG3OD035544. Along with Dr. Cavalier and Dr. Ghassabian, NYU Langone researchers involved in the study are Mengling Liu, PhD; Yelena Afanasyeva, MS; Yu Chen, PhD, MPH; and Leonardo Trasande, MD. Dr. Cavalier is now a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University in New York City. Other study co-investigators are Heather Volk, PhD, MPH, at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; Apollo Kivumbi, MD, MPH, and Kristen Lyall, ScD, at Drexel University in Philadelphia; Kurunthachalam Kannan, PhD, and Zhongmin Li, PhD, in the New York State Department of Health; Allison Sherris, PhD, at the University of Washington in Seattle; Lisa Croen, PhD, and Jennifer Ames, PhD, at Kaiser Permanente in Pleasanton, California; Rebecca Schmidt, PhD, and Deborah Bennett, PhD, at the University of California, Davis; Carrie Breton, ScD, and Theresa Bastain, PhD, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles; Amanda Bakian, PhD, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City; Nicole Alkhouri, MS, at Michigan State University in East Lansing; Stephanie Eick, PhD, MPH, at Emory University in Atlanta; Jaclyn Goodrich, PhD, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; Susan Schantz, PhD, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Thomas O'Connor, PhD, at the University of Rochester in New York; Margaret Karagas, PhD, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; and Julie Herbstman, PhD, at Columbia University in New York City. About NYU Langone Health NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 118 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation four years in a row, and it continues to have the most No. 1– and top 10–ranked specialties among medical centers in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across seven inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 330 outpatient locations in the New York City area and Florida. The system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise. /Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.

Chlorpyrifos and other organophosphate insecticides had no association at low exposure levels