A recent collection of three studies show that pesticide exposure during pregnancy may have effects on the child's IQ, Health Day reports.

Researchers found the effect was noticeable in kids from a California farming region where they and their mothers were exposed to pesticides through the local crops. The chemical known as oranophosphates, which kill insects by disrupting their brains and nervous systems, was formed as a dangerous nerve agent during World War II.

The study found that 20 percent of children whose mothers were least exposed to the pesticide during pregnancy had a 7-point higher IQ level than those with the highest exposure.

Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added that there can be an impact on vital organs in humans. Researchers say that the study shows no proof that this specific chemical is bad for the developing brains of infants and children. However, they say that there is a "body of evidence beginning to build" in support of the link.

"Reducing exposure during pregnancy will be important for parents to think about. For example, taking steps to prevent pests getting into the home, rather than trying to manage them with pesticides," Mary A. Fox, assistant professor at the department of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the news source.

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