Some consumers want to eat foods without pesticides

by Frances Willick

Chemical pesticides were never intended to be ingested by humans; they were designed to kill pests in agricultural crops. Nevertheless, data show that many people across the globe carry these chemicals in their bodies.

The US Centers for Disease Control released their Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals in July 2005. The biennial report assessed the presence of 148 chemicals, including 43 pesticides, in 2400 people living in the United States. These 43 pesticides represent less than 5 percent of the total currently registered for use in the US. However, the report showed that 90 percent of the study subjects carried a mixture of these 43 pesticides in their bodies.

The impact of pesticides on human health depends on several factors, including the number, level, and toxicity of the ingested chemicals. There are hundreds of chemical pesticides currently in use and studying the effects of each chemical, not to mention combinations of them, would be a monumental task. However, scientific studies have correlated individual pesticide exposure with health problems, including neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, reproductive disorders, and cancer. The increase in chemical use over the past few decades directly parallels the increasing occurrence of many of these diseases.

Human exposure to pesticides can occur through air, drinking water, food, and contact with contaminated surfaces. Though our control over exposure to chemicals is often limited, there are ways to minimize exposure, including eating organic foods.

Pesticide residues are a part of most meals prepared with conventionally produced food. Investigations of pesticide presence in organically and conventionally grown foods confirm the reduced presence of pesticide residues in organic food. The US Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Data Program found that more than 80 percent of the 12,600 samples of conventionally grown fresh fruits and almost 75 percent of conventional fresh vegetable samples tested positive for pesticide residues. It also found that conventionally grown fruits and vegetables were three to four times more likely to contain residues than organic produce, and eight to eleven times more likely to contain multiple pesticide residues. Although organic crops are grown without synthetic pesticides, organic crops may sometimes contain very low levels of pesticides which are carried in the wind from nearby farms. This a constant concern for organic farmers.

A study published in the fall of 2005 monitored the presence of two commonly used agricultural pesticides in 23 elementary school students. During the 15-day study, the students consumed conventional foods for three days before organic food was subsituted for the same food items for the next five days and then the students again consumed conventional food for the remaining seven days. The presence of the pesticides was monitored by testing daily urine samples. The results showed that levels of the two pesticides immediately decreased to undetectable levels once organic food items were substituted, and increased again when conventional diets were re-introduced.

This study illustrates not only that food comprises at least a portion of our pesticide exposure, but also that organic food significantly decreases our bodies’ pesticide burden.

Dr. Roy Fox is the Director of Medicine at the Environmental Health Centre in Fall River, Nova Scotia. The centre treats chemically sensitive patients with chronic illnesses linked to environmental chemical exposure. “We recommend an organic diet to all our patients,” says Fox. “Organic food reduces the pesticide load, reduces chemical contaminants, and is a cleaner whole food.” Fox tells the story of patients who have anaphylactic reactions to conventionally grown food – grapes, or peanut butter, for example – but who can eat the equivalent organic product without incident.

Fox emphasizes that organic food is not only for those with existing health problems. “I would recommend it for anyone,” he says. “In order to aquire energy from food, you have to absorb it – it’s work for the body. Anything that reduces that work takes stress off the body and frees energy for healing.”

Given that we are surrounded by hazardous chemicals every day in our air, water, and soil, it makes sense to limit our intake of these toxins. Organic food is a practical and often a simple way to minimize the risks of health problems associated with chemical exposure and to improve and maintain our health.

Frances Willick is a Consultant for the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada. Please send comments or questions by phone to 902-893-7256 or by email to oacc@nsac.ca.

Bibliography

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 2005. Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. US Department of Health and Human Services. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/3rd/pdf/thirdreport.pdf [11January 2006]

Lu, C., Toepel, K., Irish, R. Fenske, R., Barr, D.B., and Bravo, R. 2005. Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides. Environmental Health Perspectives. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. US Department of Health and Human Services. Available from: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/8418/8418.pdf

Posted on the OACC website, February 2006