No ones used the pesticide Methoxychlor for more than a decade — but according to a new study, it may be harming people for generations to come. A group of researchers at Washington State University have discovered new effects from the pesticide that reach into a subjects epigenome, affecting children and even grandchildren of the initial subject. Methoxychlor doesnt alter the genome itself, but after exposing rats to the toxin, researchers discovered the subjects descendants were more likely to express the harmful genes. The effect was particularly pronounced in the female germ line, indicating Methoxychlor is particularly harmful for the descendants of female subjects.
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