Dangers of pesticides (again)

I was about to reference my older posts where I discussed pesticides, but then I realized how many there were. I've talked about this a lot, and it's really obvious to some extent, but I am still amazing how many people have no real concern about pesticides. Few people remotely consider this when popping huge juicy conventionally grown strawberries in their mouth (one of the most heavily sprayed crops out there).

Now a new study that made the front page of cnn.com today discusses the link between pesticides and ADHD. While scientists cannot exactly find a cause and effect connection, studies are showing that higher amounts of pesticide by-products in children essentially doubles their risk of ADHD. As studies consistently show and as I have consistently written here, everything is worse the smaller you are. When you give something unhealthy to an adult (pesticides, chemicals, etc.) to a child or god forbid an infant, the effects are dramatically worse. It is clear from studies that children who consume conventionally grown fruits and vegetables have far higher levels of pesticide and chemical residue in their systems. We are only figuring out all the harms these cause.

All you can do is to try and eat organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible, wash your fruits and vegetables fully regardless, and to the extent you can eat some but not all organic, prioritize your purchases as I've previously written about here. And if you have growing children, their consumption is far more of a concern than yours. Additionally, farmers markets are already opening across the country. You can ask the farmers about their pesticide use. Some are organic, others are essentially organic but not certified as such, others use limited pesticides on some products, and others are really no different than any other conventional farmer. In Chicago, the french market in the train station downtown offers organic fruits and vegetables that you can buy in bulk and take back to your office.