The Truth About Pesticides And Your Health + Safe Food Shopping Guide

It’s not super easy to get to the truth about America’s pesticide usage. The latest data I could find were market estimates from 2006-2007 published in 2011. [1]

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States used 5.6 billion pounds of pesticides in 2006 and 2007. [2] That’s about 2.8 billion pounds per year! I can only imagine how use has increased in the past decade.

Unfortunately, the majority of pesticides fail to reach the intended targets in their application sites (e.g. the pests and weeds). As a result, these rogue chemicals end up contaminating food, air, and water, and negatively affect the well-being of humans and non-human animals.

The seeming omnipresence of pesticides in the environment has been linked to various physical and mental health problems: [3]

1. Cancers, especially in children [4]
2. Birth defects
3. Learning disabilities and deficits
4. Developmental delays
5. Lower IQ
6. Neurological problems (e.g. learning, memory, attention)
7. Autism and ADHD [5]
8. Decreased fertility
9. Endocrine disruption

Who is at risk?

People and animals who regularly eat conventional foods grown with agrochemicals are at an elevated risk of developing health problems.

Additionally, humans and non-human animals who live near sprayed crops are at risk. [6] This makes me quiver as I think back to the years I lived in an apartment complex sandwiched between fields of GMO corn and soy doused with Round Up.

Infants and young children comprise an additional at-risk population due to their developing brains and bodies.[7] Compared to adults, children eat more food relative to their size, and are ill-equipped to process chemicals that enter their bodies. [8]

According to a review by Grandjean and Landrigan (2006), children living in areas with high levels of pesticides developed impaired hand-eye coordination and short-term memory, decreased physical stamina, and trouble drawing. [9]

Pregnant mothers are advised to be very mindful of what they put on and into their bodies. During fetal development, exposure to industrial chemicals causes brain injury at much lower doses than during adulthood.[10]

What’s safe to eat?

Pesticides contaminate most conventional produce. The Environmental Working Group reported that USDA testing found traces of at least one pesticide on 75% of fruit and vegetables sampled in 2014. [11]

Eating organic produce is the best way to eliminate the harmful effects of pesticides on your health.

Safe Food Shopping Guide

Although organic is always the better choice, often budgetary limits prevent buying 100% organic fruits and vegetables. Below I have included the Environmental Working Group’s notorious Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen to assist you with your shopping. [12]

The “Dirty Dozen” most contaminated fruits and vegetables include: [13]

1. Strawberries
2. Apples
3. Nectarines
4. Peaches
5. Celery
6. Grapes
7. Cherries
8. Spinach
9. Tomatoes
10. Bell peppers
11. Cherry Tomatoes
12. Cucumbers

The Clean 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables include: [14]

1. Avocados
2. Corn*
3. Pineapples
4. Cabbage
5. Sweet peas
6. Onions
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Papayas*
10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant
12. Honeydew
13. Grapefruit
14. Cantaloupe
15. Cauliflower

*I would recommend buying organic corn and papayas, as they are amongst the most common genetically modified crops. [15]

How do you protect yourself and your loved ones from pesticides?

References:

[1] http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/EPA%20market_estimates2007.pdf
[2] http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/EPA%20market_estimates2007.pdf
[3] https://www.nrdc.org/issues/ban-dangerous-pesticides
[4] http://www.ewg.org/research/pesticide-industry-propaganda-real-story/pesticides-and-childhood-cancer-references
[5] http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/186/416/083/
[6] http://www.ewg.org/research/industrys-myths/myth-4-nobody-has-ever-been-hurt-exposure-pesticides-low-doses
[7] http://www.ewg.org/research/pesticide-industry-propaganda-real-story/pesticides-and-childhood-cancer-references
[8] http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2016/05/five-essential-facts-about-pesticides-fruits-and-vegetables
[9] http://fundrogertorne.org/web2015/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/developmental-neurotoxicity-of-industrial-chemicals-grandjean-landrigan.pdf
[10] http://fundrogertorne.org/web2015/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/developmental-neurotoxicity-of-industrial-chemicals-grandjean-landrigan.pdf
[11] http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2016/05/five-essential-facts-about-pesticides-fruits-and-vegetables
[12] https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
[13] https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
[14] https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
[15] http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/12060-top-gmo-foods.html

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.