Happenings on the Ranch

We’ve suspected health problems from pesticide use for years and now we’re getting some proof.  Several previous studies by the Harvard School of Public Health have previously linked neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders to exposure to pesticides.  But those studies generally focused on children of farmworkers and others exposed to abnormally high levels of the chemicals.  Now the school has published an article in the Journal of Pediatrics linking pesticides used on certain fruits and vegetables to the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children in the general public.

This new study is the first to focus on “a population sample more representative of the United States, and not one selected for being at high exposure,” said epidemiologist Marc G. Weisskopf of Harvard University’s School of Public Health, the senior author of the paper.  The study followed more than 1,100 children and found those with the highest levels of residue from the pesticide malathion in their urine were the ones most likely to suffer ADD or ADHD.  The researchers concluded that a tenfold increase in metabolite levels in urine — still a very low level — was associated with a 55% higher risk of having ADHD.

The conclusion?  That these commonly used pesticides are toxic to a child’s developing brain.

There are forty different pesticides similar to malathion registered for use in the U.S.  In this study, the fruits with the highest concentration of pesticides included strawberries, raspberries and frozen blueberries.

So, what’s a parent to do?  Same thing I’ve always talked about.  Buy organic when possible.  Buy local, even if it’s not organic, since less pesticides are needed when fruit doesn’t have to be shipped long distances.  And try to buy fruits that have to be peeled or washed before eating them, like bananas and oranges.  I suspect this will be the first of many studies to prove the use of pesticides causes more health problems than the chemical companies and FDA has been willing to admit to.

Until next time.

~Karin