5 Ways To Reduce Children's Exposure
There's no question many children are routinely exposed to trace amounts of pesticides. Typical exposures aren't enough to cause known problems such as poisoning or cancer, but a new-found link between pesticide exposure and ADHD does raise the troubling question of whether such exposure could be harming children's brain development.
The new Pediatrics study found that children who had higher levels in their bodies of chemicals from organophosphate pesticides were more likely to have ADHD symptoms such as impulsivity and attention problems.
That news doesn't necessarily mean that the pesticides cause ADHD – reaching that conclusion would require long-term studies that haven't been conducted – but it does warrant further examination, experts say.
ADHD is common in school age children, and organophosphate pesticides, which work by disabling a chemical that nerves use to transmit signals, are widely used in growing fruits and vegetables, for lawn care, and even for killing head lice.
Reducing Exposure
If you're in the better-safe-than-sorry camp, here are five ways to reduce your children's exposure to pesticides:
- Pick cleaner fruits and veggies. Washing helps remove some pesticide residue, as does peeling. But the surest way to avoid pesticide residue on foods is to buy organic versions of foods that, when not grown organically, are most likely to be grown using pesticides. These include celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, and blueberries. Corn, peas, and asparagus are usually low in pesticide residue, even when grown conventionally.
- Detoxify your lawn and garden. If you have a lawn care service, ask if they are using the organophosphate pesticide trichlorfon; it's used almost exclusively by lawn care companies and golf courses. Choose less toxic alternatives, or skip the pesticides altogether. Malathion is used in commercial agriculture, lawn care, and mosquito control. It is recommended that families should stay out of fields sprayed with Malathion for one week after treatment.
- Clean out your garden shed. Products with active substances containing Cyhexatin, Chlordecone and Azobenzene were outlawed during the 70s and 80s, but there may be some left in your old garden shed. Check with your community's hazardous-waste disposal program on how to safely dispose of pesticides. Often these products are very toxic to fish, so don't pour them down the drain.
- Pick those nits. Malathion is licensed for treatment of head lice in children over age 6. But do you really want a neurotoxin on your child's scalp? Non-toxic alternatives include combing and nit-picking.
- Check your school's pest control policy. Many school districts have moved to Integrated Pest Management, which emphasises less toxic alternatives.
Article provided by Lavender Pest Control