Common pesticides used on fruits and vegetables can possibly be linked to children’s Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), a new analysis of U.S. health data said. The study cannot prove that pesticides contribute to childhood problems with learning, but experts said the research is influential. More research will be needed to confirm the tie, Los Angeles Watts Times reported.
“I would take it quite seriously,” Virginia Rauh of Columbia University said. Rauh has studied prenatal exposure to pesticides, and was not involved in the study.
Because children are still growing, they are prone to the health risks of pesticides. They may also consume more pesticide residue than adults, relative to the body weight. Pesticides break down into compounds in the body; these compounds can be measured in urine.
Almost universally, the study found compounds in the urine of about 94 percent of children. The findings are based on one-time urine samples of 1,139 children and interviews with their parents to determine whether the children had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The children, ages 8 to 15, were tested between 2000 and 2004.
The children with higher levels had increased chances of having ADHD. These higher levels of pesticide can come from the air or food treated with pesticides. Children can also swallow pesticides in their drinking water. The study did not determine how these children had high levels of pesticide, but experts said it is likely for children who do not live near farms to be exposed through what they eat.
“Exposure is practically ubiquitous,” Maryse Bouchard of the University of Montreal said. “We are all exposed.”
People can limit their exposure by eating organic produce. According to a government report, frozen blueberries, strawberries and celery had more residue than other foods. In 2008, an Emory University study found that children who switched to organically grown fruits and vegetables had lower pesticide compounds in their urine.
The study dealt with one common type of pesticide called organophosphates. Levels of six pesticide compounds were measured. For the most frequent compound, 20 percent of the children with above-average levels had ADHD. In children with no detectable amount in their urine, 10 percent had ADHD.
The study hopes to prove that the government should encourage farmers to switch to organic methods, Margaret Reeves, senior scientist with the Pesticide Action Network, said. The Pesticide Action Netowkr is an advocacy group that has been working to end the use of some pesticides.
“It is unpardonable to allow this exposure to continue,” Reeves said.
