André Leu: Pesticides & Children’s Health

Join the president of IFOAM, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, to really learn about the dangers of synthetic pesticides. Numerous scientific studies show that current regulatory systems around the world have failed to protect unborn and growing children from exposure to a massive cocktail of toxic pesticides. Multiple pesticide residues have been found in semen, ovarian follicular fluid, amniotic fluid, maternal blood, placental and umbilical cord blood, breast milk, meconium of newborns, and in the urine of children. The Environmental Working Group found up to 232 chemicals in the placental cord blood of babies.

This group is the most vulnerable to the harm caused by chemicals. As young children they have the highest levels of pesticide exposure due to their food consumption in relation to their body weight. Of particular concern is that the fetus and newborn possess lower concentrations of protective serum proteins than adults. A major consequence of this vulnerability is a greater susceptibility to cancers and developmental neurotoxicity, where the poison damages the developing nervous system. They are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of endocrine disrupters because their tissues and organs are still developing and rely on balanced hormone signals to ensure that they develop in orderly sequences. Small disruptions in these hormone signals by endocrine-disrupting chemicals can significantly alter the way these body parts and metabolic systems develop. These altered effects will not only last a lifetime; they can be passed on to future generations. A large body of published, peer-reviewed scientific research shows that pesticide exposure in unborn and growing children is linked to:

• Cancers
• Thyroid disorders
• Immune system problems
• Lower IQs
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Lack of physical coordination
• Loss of temper—anger management issues
• Bipolar/schizophrenia spectrum of illnesses
• Depression
• Digestive system problems
• Cardiovascular disease
• Reproductive problems (as adults)
• Deformities of the genital-urinary systems
• Changes to metabolic systems, including childhood obesity and diabetes