Warning Signs: How Pesticides Harm the Young Brain: “The risks are not confined to children growing up in farm communities or inner-city public housing.” The Nation
Tag Archives: pesticides
Study Exposes Multi-generational Impacts of Pesticide Exposure
research on water fleas demonstrates that even low dose exposure to some pesticides “..can cause significant health problems for those organisms later in life –and affect their offspring and, possibly, their offspring’s offspring.”. and lest you think this is limited to water fleas, this builds on research that has shown trangenerational effects in humans after exposure to vinclozolin, a common hormone-disrupting fungicide used on fruits and vegetables. see also how GMOs unleashed a pesticide gusher.
american academy of pediatrics’ clinical report highlights benefits of organic food
excellent news that the american academy of pediatrics released a clinical report that finally highlights the benefits of organic food, including lower exposure to pesticides for consumers and the workers who produce the food, lower exposure to drug-resistant bacteria and lower overall environmental impact than conventional farming and recommends that, “…Pediatricians should incorporate this evidence when discussing the health and environmental impact of organic foods and organic farming..”
as the organic trade association press release notes this is a major milestone for organics since the pediatric party line has historically been that there’s no difference that makes a difference between organic and conventional foods.
if anything, the AAP clinical report soft pedals the research on pesticide exposure in particular. the pesticide action network also released a report, “A Generation in Jeopardy: How pesticides are undermining our children’s health & intelligence” that reviews dozens of recent scientific studies on the impacts of pesticides on children’s health. the emerging evidence of links between pesticide usage and childhood health harms are impossible to ignore.
it’s hard for me to imagine how anyone can read the 44 page report and not decide to purchase organic food ( and all the more so now that we know GMOs have unleashed a pesticide gusher ).
IQ and Pesticides: Another Important Study
new research from the prestigious boston children’s hospital, published in environmental health perspectives, “A Strategy for Comparing the Contributions of Environmental Chemicals and Other Risk Factors to Neurodevelopment of Children”, identifies the top five risk factors associated with decreases in children’s IQs. number 3 on the list, right behind lead? organophosphate pesticides which are used in conventional/non-organic food production. according to wikipedia, “there are forty organophosphate pesticides registered in the U.S., with at least 73 million pounds used in agricultural and residential settings.” don’t panic, go organic.