ADHD Linked to Pesticides

Do you wash your fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating them? If not, you are feeding your family poisonous pesticides, and could be increasing your child’s risk of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Most pesticides are made from organophosphates; interestingly enough, organophosphates were originally used to create chemical weapons. That, in itself, is enough to make me nervous! My children have been ingesting components of a chemical weapon known to damage the nervous system.

Approximately 40 organophosphate pesticides are currently used in the United States. In a study performed by US researchers, they studied 1,139 children between the ages of 8 and 15. Urine samples were taken, and what they found was that the children with higher levels of residue from organophosphates in their urine had almost twice the risk of being diagnosed with ADHD than those with no detectable traces.

How do we protect our children from the pesticides used on commercially available fruits and vegetables? Well, the obvious choice is to buy organic…but, some of us cannot afford that! Organic foods are more expensive, and many families cannot afford the higher prices. Luckily, there are alternative options to minimize your child’s exposure to these dangerous chemicals.

Farmer’s Markets, where local farmers sell their produce, are available in most areas. This is a perfect opportunity to purchase safe fruits and vegetables, as well as support your local farmers. Small farms are a dying breed, and coming from a family who has farmed for generations, we need to do all we can to keep them alive!

If you choose to continue buying fruits and vegetables from the supermarket, be sure to wash them off thoroughly prior to eating…even the frozen ones! It is very important to wash as much of the pesticide residue off your vegetables as you can.

While there have been many different factors attributed to the rise of ADHD in our nation, we, as parents, need to do what we can to lessen their risk. The food industry has one goal, and one goal only, and that is to make money.

Sources:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2009-3058v1
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64G41R20100517
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37156010/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100517/hl_hsn/pesticidesonproducetiedtoadhdinchildren