Why is organic food harmful?

Can organic food protect children from pesticides? An article recently published in the journal Environmental Health Outlook said: Scientists have found that the content of toxic pesticides in children who eat organic food for only a few days has dropped significantly, which shows that eating organic food can reduce children's exposure to pesticides.

Chen Sheng Lu of Emory University, who is in charge of the research, said on behalf of his research team at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in St. Louis: When children eat organic food, the pesticides in their bodies drop to undetectable levels-even if they only eat organic food for five days.

Insecticide is a neurotoxin. Because this chemical destroys the enzymes that dominate communication in the brain, exposure to pesticides may damage children's brains. In the final analysis, these chemicals are produced by paralyzing and overstimulating the nervous system of pests to achieve the purpose of controlling pests. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also warned the public that children are very sensitive to pesticides because their excretory system is not fully developed and their intake per unit weight is higher than that of adults.

Lu designed a unique intervention study. He selected 23 primary school students aged 3 to 1 1 in Seattle to eat organic food instead of their regular diet, including organic vegetables, fruits and juices, as well as wheat and corn products. Then the levels of pesticide residues in children's bodies are determined by detecting their urine samples and saliva. At the beginning of the study, all the children had pesticide residues in their urine samples. But once they start eating organic food, the level of pesticide metabolites in their urine will drop to zero. And if they eat ordinary food again, the pesticide level in their bodies will rebound again. Based on this, Lu believes that the decline of children's pesticide level should be attributed to their intake of organic food. Moreover, priority pollutants-The organophosphorus pesticide (OPs) was not found in children's homes, indicating that children ingested this pesticide in their daily diet, rather than when they were exposed to sprayed flowers and plants while playing at home.

Lu also said that children are exposed to pesticides through other channels, such as around houses or public sports venues, where pesticides are sometimes sprayed on a large scale.

In addition, researchers are currently studying whether other human diseases are also related to early exposure to pesticides, such as attention deficit disorder, decreased IQ, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Children are most sensitive to pesticides during the period from fetal formation to two years old. Robin wright, who studies pregnant women at Columbia University, found that when mothers are exposed to pesticides, their children's weight and height are significantly reduced at birth.

Scientists finally warned parents that they should know about their children's exposure to pesticides. Because organic food is more expensive than conventional food, parents don't need to let their children eat 65,438+000% organic food. They can download a list of food and its pesticide risks from the website of www.ewg.org. Lu said: The purpose of this study is not to warn parents not to let their children eat regular food, but to make parents pay attention to their children's exposure to pesticides and consider how to reduce this exposure.