Pesticide Residues in Food Associated with ADHD
by FrancisThickeThe Washington Post (June 1) covered a new study on the connection between pesticide residues in food and ADHD in children. The study in the journal Pediatrics found that nearly 95% of children had at least one pesticide metabolite in their urine, and those with above average levels were more than twice as likely to have ADHD.
The study’s coauthor, Maryse Bouchard, said “This is not a small effect, and it is certainly cause for concern.” She suggested that consumers consider buying local at farmers markets, because surveys have shown that small farmers have fewer residues on their food.
After interviewing experts for the article, the Post’s top recommendation was “Eat an entirely organic diet,” which John’s Hopkins pediatrician, Lynn Goldman said has been shown to significantly lower people’s exposure levels.
One of the main issues I am speaking about in my campaign is the expansion of local food production in Iowa. Locally produced food can be fresher, safer, and tastier and can provide jobs in rural Iowa.
The Post article can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/31/AR2010053101914.html.
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Steven Novella, MD is an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. His blog post on the journal article “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Pesticides” is very well balanced, perhaps more so than the Post article. I hope you’ll check it out. It begins:
“A recent article published in the journal Pediatrics links exposure to certain types of organophosphate pesticides with ADHD. This is a reasonable study and the results should be taken seriously, but as always they need to be put into context – something most media outlets are failing to do.”
The full post can be found here: http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1962
Thanks for the post, Anastaia. Obviously, more research is needed to determine if the correlation is also cause and effect. However, as Novella said, for making decisions in medicine and public health, “the precautionary principle is a reasonable guide.”