Pesticides

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

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From the website of the Environmental Working Group:

Why should I be concerned about pesticides?

As acknowledged by U.S. and international government agencies, different pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems, including:

• Nervous system toxicity
• Cancer
• Hormone system effects
• Skin, eye and lung irritation

Pesticides are unique among the chemicals we release into the environment. They are designed to kill living organisms — insects, plants, and fungi that are considered “pests.” Because they are toxic by design, many pesticides pose health dangers to people, risks that have been established by independent research scientists and physicians across the world.

From the 2008 – 2009 Annual Report to the U.S. President titled Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now, created by the President’s Cancer Panel, page iii:

“Pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides) approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] contain nearly 900 active ingredients, many of which are toxic.  Many of the solvents, fillers, and other chemicals listed as inert ingredients on pesticide labels also are toxic, but are not required to be tested for their potential to cause chronic diseases such as cancer.  In addition to pesticides, agricultural fertilizers and veterinary pharmaceuticals are major contributors to water pollution, both directly and as a result of chemical processes that form toxic by-products when these substances enter the water supply.

From The Toxic Sandbox (2007) by Libby McDonald; pages 147 – 149:

Pesticides remain a cause for concern.  In 2000, the EPA banned some of the really bad chemicals for use in homes, significantly decreasing their levels in children’s bodies.  However, pesticides still abound in our food and nobody knows for sure how they affect our children.  Designed to kill insects, it may well be that they contain the seeds of problems that have yet to manifest themselves in a serious way.  For this reason it is prudent to take steps — none of which are terribly drastic — to reduce children’s exposure to pesticides.

The Bad News

• Nonorganic farmers use around two hundred approved chemicals on their crops.
• Children who eat a conventional diet are exposed every day to tiny amounts of more than thirty chemical pesticides designed to poison insects.
• The EPA estimates that about 80% of our total pesticide exposure comes through the food we eat.  The remaining 20% of exposure to pesticides comes through drinking water and by using pesticides at home to control insects and rodents.
• Pesticides have been linked to:
  • Cancer
  • Birth defects
  • Reproductive disorders
  • Kidney damage
  • Liver damage

The Good News

• In 2000 the EPA banned some organophosphate pesticides for use in homes, driving down levels of pesticides in children’s bodies.
• A study has confirmed that by feeding your children organic food, you can eliminate nearly 80% of their pesticide exposure.

Related Content:

• Pesticides in Wine