Going Organic Can Shield Children From Pesticides

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LA TIMES: THE NATION

 

Going Organic Can Shield Children From Pesticides

 

 

# A study finds benefits are 'immediate' and suggests that youths are

exposed to the chemicals primarily through food, not spraying of homes.

 

By Marla Cone, Times Staff Writer

 

Switching to organic foods provides children " dramatic and immediate "

protection from pesticides that are widely used on a variety of crops,

according to a study by a team of federally funded scientists.

 

Concentrations of two organophosphate pesticides — malathion and

chlorpyrifos — declined substantially in the bodies of elementary

school-age children during a five-day period when organic foods were

substituted for conventional foods.

 

The two chemicals are the most commonly used insecticides in U.S.

agriculture. More than 2 million pounds were applied to California

crops in 2003, according to records of the state Department of

Pesticide Regulation.

 

The health effects of exposure to minute amounts of pesticides found

in food are largely unknown, especially for children. Some research,

however, suggests that the residue may harm the developing nervous system.

 

For 15 days, a team of environmental health scientists from the

University of Washington, Emory University and the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention tested the urine of 23 elementary school-age

children in the Seattle area.

 

During the first three days and last seven days, the children ate

their normal foods. But during the middle five days, organic items

were substituted for most of their diet, including fruits, vegetables,

juices and wheat- and corn-based processed items such as cereal and pasta.

 

Average levels of both pesticides in the children " decreased to the

nondetect levels immediately after the introduction of organic diets

and remained nondetectable until the conventional diets were

reintroduced, " the researchers reported Thursday in the online version

of the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

 

When they ate organic foods, the children on average had zero

malathion detected in their urine, with a high of seven parts per

billion in one child. But when the children returned to eating

conventional foods, one child had as much as 263 parts per billion and

the average increased to 1.6 parts per billion.

 

For chlorpyrifos, the children had less than one part per billion when

they ate organic foods, but the average increased fivefold as soon as

they returned to their previous diet.

 

The findings suggest that children are exposed to organophosphate

chemicals mainly through food, not through spraying in homes or other

sources. In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned most

residential uses of chlorpyrifos but has left most agricultural uses

unrestricted. Three other organophosphate pesticides that are not

widely used on farms and are more highly restricted by the EPA were

undetectable in most of the children, according to the study, directed

by Emory's Chensheng Lu.

 

" In conclusion, " the researchers wrote, " we were able to demonstrate

that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective

effect against exposure to organophosphorus pesticides that are

commonly used in agricultural production. "

 

Margaret Reeves, a staff scientist at the Pesticide Action Network

North America, based in San Francisco, said the findings were " not

surprising because we know that food is an important source of

[organophosphate] exposure. Also, we know that these pesticides don't

last very long … in the body, and you can have a relatively quick

response " to a diet change.

 

Pesticide manufacturers say that while low levels of residue are

detectable on many products, there is no evidence that children are

harmed by them. They say that pesticides, which are the most highly

tested and regulated chemicals in the United States, are vital to

providing an affordable and plentiful world food supply.

 

But Reeves said the children's study " is a pretty strong argument that

[organic food] is a good way to go, if you have access to it and can

afford it. "

 

Organic foods can be expensive and sometimes difficult to find. But

parents can minimize their children's exposure if they substitute

organic products for those that contain the most residue. Experts

advise parents to wash produce and peel skins if they buy conventional

foods, but for foods that cannot be peeled, such as grapes and

strawberries, organic may be a wise choice.

 

In the late 1990s, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed that

about 75% of foods sampled from conventionally grown crops contained

pesticide residue, compared with 23% for organic products.

 

The Consumers Union reported in 2000 that peaches, apples, pears,

grapes, green beans, spinach, winter squash, strawberries and

cantaloupe had the highest levels of pesticide residues. Those with

few residues included bananas, broccoli, canned peaches, canned or

frozen peas, canned or frozen corn, milk, orange juice, apple juice

and grape juice.

 

Thirty-five percent of peaches sampled by the USDA in 2003 contained

traces of chlorpyrifos, and 26% of the celery in 2002 had malathion

residue, according to the new study.