Study links ADHD to Pesticides

 A study in the medical journal Pediatrics recently determined a link between the ingestion of pesticide residue on food to the prevalence of ADHD.

It pointed out that pesticides are designed to be toxic to nervous systems - that is how they keep the pests away - but  toxins were found in 95 percent of the study participants.

95 percent!

Not all the children with exposure to pesticides had ADHD, and not all pesticides caused ADHD. I looks like one is specifically looking like the culprit. 

How disastrous to learn your child's struggles could be the result of poor washing of fruits and vegetables. 

I know from talking with a lot of farmers around here that organics are viewed a with skepticism by much of the mainstream agriculture types. I have heard it said that organics are unrealistic for feeding the world. (Feeding the world sounds like an exaggeration, but that is actually what is going on in this country). The farmer said without pesticides and GM seed, crop yield would decrease, and since we aren't about to get more land, that would mean less food for everyone.

I can see that farmer's point, but I also have what is now being shown to be legitimate concerns about pesticide use.  A lot of corn and soy that is grown around here is for the animals - I wonder if it effects them.

The good thing is that for those concern, there are several local organic growers, and the produce is pretty easy to find at the stores in Fairmont.

Check out the link to the study attached. For the really short version, here is the conclusion to the study.

CONCLUSIONS These findings support the hypothesis that organophosphate exposure, at levels common among US children, may contribute to ADHD prevalence. Prospective studies are needed to establish whether this association is causal.