Organic apples reduce harmful pesticide exposure for kids
Another new study links pesticides commonly used on apples, a kid
favorite, to abnormalities in the developing brain. Here's why apples
are the most important organic purchase you can make for your kids.
The study found that prenatal exposure to the organophosphate (OP) pesticide—now banned for residential use but still widely used on many crops—may be linked with abnormal changes in the cortex of a child’s developing brain. Other recent studies show that exposure to chlorpyrifos in the womb and early childhood may be linked with lowered IQ and increased incidence of ADHD.
A few more persuasive facts:
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Apples are one of the top fruits consumed by U.S. children
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Conventional apples are No. 1 on EWG’s Dirty Dozen; 98 percent of apples tested had pesticides.
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Conventional applesauce, another kid favorite, retains much higher residues of several pesticides on average than organic applesauce.
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Even officially allowable levels of OPs may harm humans, according to recent studies.
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Apples are also frequently sprayed with Paraquat, a pesticide that may have a link to Parkinson’s disease.
- The health of families in agricultural communities is directly affected by either doing pesticide spraying, or by runoff or drift.
