Whether you're walking through a farmers' market or browsing the aisles of a food store, the fruits and vegetables burst with color during the summer months.  But deciding what to bring home goes beyond cucumbers, watermelon and cherries; now we can choose ORGANIC cucumbers, watermelon and cherries. 

 

Certified "organic" as defined by the latest ( October 2001) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) revision is food produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat,poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers or sewage sludge-based fertilizers, bio-engineering or ionizing radiation.  Before a product can be labeled "organic" a government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown (or raised) to make sure the owner is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.  Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local markets or restaurant must be certified.  All of these regulations are required by the 1990 Organic Foods Production Act and the National Organic Program  which required the USDA to set the standards and certify inspectors.  Since 1990, retail sales of organic foods has increased from $1 billion to over $7.8 billion in 2003.  But what can a consumer expect after she has paid almost double for a bunch of organic grapes vs its conventionally grown alternative?  The USDA has not made any health claims for organic foods.  The US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USDA, and Environmental Protection Agency are all expanding research to explore any scientific basis for health benefits of organic foods.

 

But a recent study of health data linked children's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with exposure to common pesticides used on fruits and vegetables.  A team of scientists at the University of Montreal and Harvard published results in the journal Pediatrics ( 5/17/2010) after comparing urine samples and questionnaires from 1139 kids ages 8-15 years old..  Researchers found higher urinary levels of organophosphate metabolites in the children more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. 

 

Pesticides break down into compounds that can be measured in urine.  Throughout the entire study detectable levels of these compounds turned up in urine samples of 94% of the kids.  Researchers did not determine how children were exposed.  Exposure may have been through ingestion of food treated with pesticides, inhalation or swallowing contaminated drinking water.  Experts agreed that those children who do not live on/near a farm were probably exposed through what they ate.  Exact causes behind reported ADHD cases is unclear.  There could be any number of factors, not just pesticides.  But children are more prone to health risks of pesticides because they are still growing and may consume more pesticide residues then adults relative to their body weight.  Maryse Bouchard, senior scientist of the study at the University of Montreal emphasized that the findings show an "association -not a direct link between ADHD and pesticide exposure."  But all the scientists involved with the study agreed the research is very persuasive.

 

(For a "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides"  go to the web site Environmental Working Group 

 

- Dr. Deirdre D. Keeler