Why Pesticides Suck, Reason #785
From the Sydney Morning Herald: “Long-banned toxins found in newborns’ blood” [via Rustle The Leaf]:
American researchers have found an average of 200 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborns, including seven dangerous pesticides—some banned in the US more than 30 years ago.
Also see: “Organic diets keep kids pesticide free”:
Children who switched their diets for only a few days to organic foods dramatically and immediately lowered the amount of toxic pesticides in their bodies, researchers report.
Further resources:
1. Pesticides in your preschooler’s food: What you need to know
2. “Does it Pay to Buy Organic?” Business Week
3. Organic Food: Worth the Money?
4. “Health Notes: Pesticides,” BBC News
The Worsted Witch » Eat Shoots & Leaves said,
April 5, 2006 at 7:14 pm
[...] Organic produce tends to be more expensive because organic farmers don’t use the same cost-cutting, mass production measures insidiously bestowed by toxic and persistent chemicals. The downside of this is that yields tend to be 20 percent lower than those of non-organic crops. Conventional agriculture focuses on quantity, not quality, which is why the nutritional value of U.S. produce has declined dramatically over the last half-century. Not so with organic fruits and vegetables, which are higher in vitamin C, essential minerals, and phytonutrients. You won’t have to worry about eating frankenfied produce, either, or subjecting your children to a pesticide burden that is detrimental to their physical and mental wellbeing. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Maybe Baby said,
May 9, 2006 at 11:20 pm
[...] And 15 years later, researchers are discovering an average of 200 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborns, including seven dangerous pesticides, some of which were banned in the U.S. over 30 years ago. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Dyed in the Poisoned Wool said,
June 19, 2006 at 10:58 pm
[...] They are so pertinacious that pesticides banned more than 30 years ago are still found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns today. [...]
The Worsted Witch » The Pesticide-Parkinson’s Equation said,
September 15, 2006 at 6:29 pm
[...] Related articles: 1. Under the Nile Headed for Target 2. Grass! On! The! Loose! (Chekhov’s Eco Tip) 3. Lawn & Order 4. Eco-Me Home: Green Cleaning Solutions 5. Pollution in People 6. Eulogy for Swiffer 7. Maybe Baby: Chemicals & Kids 5. Why Pesticides Suck Reason #785 [...]
The Worsted Witch » Pesticides in Produce said,
October 30, 2006 at 3:06 pm
[...] A demonstration of the persistence and perniciousness of pesticides can be found in DDT, an insecticide banned in 1972, which has been detected in human breast milk in the U.S., along with a chockload of industrial contaminants and known carcinogens such as PCBs, carbon tetrachloride, and benzene. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Chemical Pollution Harms Kids’ Brains said,
November 13, 2006 at 1:17 pm
[...] Related articles: 1. Pesticides in Produce 2. The Pesticide-Parkinson’s Equation 3. Grass! On! The! Loose! (Chekhov’s Eco Tip) 4. Lawn & Order 5. Vinegar: Disinfectant of Champions 6. Eco-Me Home: Green Cleaning Solutions 7. Pollution in People 8 . Eulogy for Swiffer 9. Maybe Baby: Chemicals & Kids 10. Why Pesticides Suck Reason #785 [...]