Organic food protects kids from pesticides, researchers say
A new study suggests that food choices are crucial to reducing children’s exposure to pesticides.
While a handful of schools in Washington state have recently incorporated organic foods into their menus, the study results could help broaden support for such programs.
According to the study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a team of researchers from University of Washington determined that elementary school-aged children are exposed almost entirely throughout their diet to a class of pesticides known to have neurological effects.
When organic food was substituted for conventional food over a five-day period, researchers noted that the amount of pesticide residues detected in children’s urine samples dropped below detectable levels. As soon as kids began eating “conventionally” grown foods, pesticide residues returned to previously high levels. Researchers concluded “an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to organophosphorus pesticides that are commonly used in agricultural production.”
Researchers approached families in the Mercer Island School Distict who did not already eat organic foods and invited them to participate in the study.
“I think a lot of people are interested and wonder if there’s a difference but with the price differential just don’t take the extra step,” said Rene Irish, one of the University of Washington researchers.
Continue reading this story from the Sustainable Industries Journal:
Organic food protects kids from pesticides, researchers say