Pesticides and Children

Please note that this section contains my personal notes from my readings on this topic.

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From Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., pages 98-101:

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is up 10.7% over the last 20 years.  Brain cancer is up 30%; osteogenic sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, is up 50%; and testicular cancer is up 60% in men under thirty.  No one can tell us why.  Scientific studies provide clues that are difficult to ignore:

• Children whose parents work with pesticides are more likely to suffer leukemia, brain cancer, and other afflictions
• Studies show that childhood leukemia is related to increased pesticide use around the house
• Nine studies reviewed by the National Cancer Institute showed a correlation between pesticide exposure and brain cancer
• Exposure to weed killers in childhood increases asthma risk by more than fourfold

All the dangers stated above are not the result of eating pesticide-treated produce.  This clear link between pesticides and cancer is a result of chemical use around the home and farm.

Because young children are the ones most susceptible to toxic exposures, the National Academy of Science has issued warnings and position papers stating that exposure to pesticides in early life can increase cancer rates down the road as well as increasing the occurrence of mental and immune system disorders.

We must be careful not to expose our children to chemical cleaners, insecticides, and weed killers on our lawns.  Chemicals used in pressure-treated wood used to build lawn furniture, decks, fences, and swing sets have also been show to place children at risk.  When young children are around, we must be vigilant to maintain a chemical-free environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the majority of pesticides now in use are probable or possible cancer causers.  Studies of farm workers who work with pesticides suggest a link between pesticide use and brain cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple myloma, leukemia, lymphoma, and cancers of the stomach, prostate, and testes.  But the question remains, does the low level of pesticides remaining on our food present much of a danger?

Some scientists argue that the extremely low level of pesticide residue remaining on produce is insignificant and that there are naturally occurring toxins in all natural foods that are more significant.  The large amount of studies performed on the typical pesticide-treated produce have demonstrated that consumption of produce, whether organic or not, is related to lower rates of cancer and disease protection, not higher rates.  Certainly, it is better to eat fruits and vegetables grown and harvested using pesticides than not eating them at all.  The health benefits of eating phytochemical-rich produce greatly outweigh any risk pesticide residues might pose.