"Study of Male Birth Defect Lets Pesticides Off the Hook -- for Now"

Link here. Excerpt:

'Only a weak link exists between pesticide exposure and a common birth defect in baby boys, according to a new study.

Researchers examined the association between hundreds of chemicals used in commercial pesticides and a birth defect called hypospadias, in which the urethral opening on the penis is on the underside rather than on the tip.
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In the study, researchers compared data from 690 male infants born with hypospadias and nearly 2,200 male infants who did not have the birth defect. The infants were born in California's Central Valley, which has one of the highest rates of pesticide use in the nation, according to the study. The mothers of the children lived fairly close to where pesticides were used.

The researchers found that 15 chemicals used in pesticides had possible associations with hypospadias, but they said further research is needed, according to the study, which was published online Oct. 28 in the journal Pediatrics.'