Photo Credit: Rosewoman

A recent study examining manganese (Mn) levels in children showed that Mn-containing fungicides could contribute to higher Mn exposure in utero. Mn is an essential nutrient, but can also be neurotoxic at high levels. This study looked at Mn levels in the teeth of 207 children living in an agricultural area of California to determine if they were exposed to high Mn levels before birth. They found that several factors contributed to increased Mn exposure in children, including storage of farmworkers’ shoes in the home, maternal farm work, agricultural use of Mn-containing fungicides within 3 km of the residence, residence built on Antioch Loam soil, and Mn dust loading during pregnancy.