ADHD & Pesticides

It’s not rocket science to understand that pesticides are harmful and have always been harmful to human beings, especially children and pregant women –  so the recent research linking organo-phosphate pesticides to Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder comes as no surprise. The new study in the journal Pediatrics associates exposure to pesticides with cases of ADHD in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 4.5 million children ages 5 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and rates of diagnosis have risen 3% a year between 1997 and 2006. Increasingly, research suggests that chemical influences, perhaps in combination with other environmental factors — like video games, hyperkinetically edited TV shows and flashing images in educational DVDs aimed at infants — may be contributing to the increase in attention problems.

Led by Maryse Bouchard in Montreal, researchers based at the University of Montreal and Harvard University examined the potential relationship between ADHD and exposure to certain toxic pesticides called organophosphates. The team analyzed the levels of pesticide residue in the urine of more than 1,100 children ages 8 to 15 and found that those with the highest levels of dialkyl phosphates, which are the breakdown products of organophosphate pesticides, had the highest incidence of ADHD. Overall, they found a 35% increase in the odds of developing ADHD with every tenfold increase in urinary concentration of the pesticide residue. The effect was seen even at the low end of exposure: kids who had any detectable, above-average level of the most common pesticide metabolite in their urine were twice as likely as those with undetectable levels to record symptoms of the learning disorder.

Bouchard’s analysis is the first to home in on organophosphate pesticides as a potential contributor to ADHD in young children. But the author stresses that her study uncovers only an association, not a direct causal link between pesticide exposure and the developmental condition. There is evidence, however, that the mechanism of the link may be worth studying further: organophosphates are known to cause damage to the nerve connections in the brain — that’s how they kill agricultural pests, after all. The chemical works by disrupting a specific neurotransmitter, acetylcholinesterase, a defect that has been implicated in children diagnosed with ADHD.

The good news is that unlike the organochlorine pesticides (mostly now banned), organophosphate pesticides metabolize very quickly, meaning that if you were to switch to an organic diet, you would likely see a huge difference if your blood and urine were tested.

So here’s a reminder of what fruits and veggies you need to buy organic.

• All berries
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Pears
• Apples
• Celery
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Lettuce

Also, I suggest you buy the following 10  foods organic: Baby Food, Meat, Dairy Products & Eggs, Rice & Rice Cereal, All Grains, Tomato Ketchup, Peanut Butter, Potatoes, Apples, Strawberries