(14-03-12) Common pesticides double children's risk of ADHD

by Sharon Heller, PhD

(NaturalNews) Many people think organic fruits and vegetables are too
expensive to buy for family meals. But those who have a hyperactive child
should think again. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, approximately 4.5 million children ages 5 to 17 in the US have been
diagnosed with ADHD. These rates have risen 3% a year between 1997 and 2006.
Could the problem be something in the air or food that American children eat? A
new study suggests this is a strong possibility.

Appearing in the journal Pediatrics in 2010 (published online on May 17,
2010), a study conducted by Harvard researchers found that relatively low-level
exposure to common pesticides doubles kids' risk of ADHD. The researchers took
urine samples of 1,139 children, aged 8 to 15 from across the United States.
They tested for signs of exposure to various organophosphate pesticides used on
commercially grown fruit and vegetables. Ninety four percent of the children
showed evidence
of the compounds. At the same time, interviews with the children's mothers, or
another caretaker, revealed that about one child in 10 met the criteria for
ADHD, the approximate estimate for the general population. "That's a very
strong association that, if true, is of very serious concern," said researcher
Marc Weisskopf of the Harvard School of Public Health, who worked on the study.
"These are widely used pesticides."

Toxicity of Pesticides Well-Known
The findings of this study are not surprising. Originally developed for
chemical warfare, organophosphates are known to be toxic to the nervous system
and pesticides are designed to
kill pests. That they might also have a toxic effect on the nervous system in
humans is not a huge leap, and especially in children who are more sensitive to
their effects as their nervous systems are still maturing. Most children across
the US eat non-organic fruits and vegetables, a large number of which,
according to a 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited in the
study, have detectable levels of pesticides. And though exposure to pesticides
has been linked to learning and behavioral problems in children in the past,
previous studies have focused on high-risk populations like farm workers. This
study was the first to examine the effects of exposure in the population at
large.

Eat Organic
The solution is obvious. People should buy organic fruits and vegetables
whenever possible and especially of the "dirty dozen,"or those foods most
contaminated with organophosphate pesticides. According to tests by the
consumer organization Environmental Working Group (EWG), these would include
the following fruits and vegetables:




Peaches

Strawberries

Apples

Domestic blueberries

Nectarines

Cherries

Imported grapes

Celery

Sweet bell peppers

Spinach

Kale

Collard greens

Potatoes

According to the EWG, the following 15 fruits and vegetables are relatively
low in pesticide residues:



Onions

Avocado

Sweet corn (frozen)

Pineapples

Mango

Sweet peas (frozen)

Asparagus

Kiwi fruit

Cabbage

Eggplant

Domestic cantaloupe

Watermelon

Grapefruit

Sweet potatoes

Honeydew melon

Washing and peeling fruits and vegetables and eating a varied diet will
further help reduce potential exposure to pesticides. National surveys have
also shown that fruits and
vegetables from farmers' markets contain less pesticides --even those that are
not organic.

Sources for this article include

http://www.reuters.com

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1989564,00.html

http://news.discovery.com/human/adhd-pesticides-children-behavior.html

News

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