According to a study, residents in the United States were found to carry harmful levels of pesticides in their bodies, with children, women and Mexican Americans disproportionately exposed to the chemicals. A study analyzed information on over 2,648 people who were tested for levels of 34 different kinds of pesticides.
The study involved blood and urine tests, which revealed a large amount of people carried levels of pesticides that were considered unsafe by the government health and environmental agencies.
Children ages 6 to 11 in the study had been exposed to chlorpyrifos, a pesticide designed to kill insects by altering the nervous system, and had four times the level considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Experts stated these results were evidence of the failure to protect people from toxic pesticides and it presented the need to find new methods of controlling insects in agriculture and all other areas.
It was also discovered that the average person observed in the study carried 13 of the 23 pesticides in their body.
Researchers said that pesticides have been associated with serious health conditions such as infertility, birth defects and cancer.
Researchers also stated that pesticides got into people’s systems through ingesting air, water and food. They suggested that manufacturers of the pesticides be held responsible for causing financial and health-related problems.
Recommendations by the study included an investigation by Congress into the corporate liability for pesticide contamination and an EPA ban on the use of dangerous pesticides.
USA Today May 11, 2004
The study recommends that Congress investigate corporate responsibility for pesticide contamination, an EPA ban on using hazardous pesticides, and requiring manufacturers to demonstrate that a pesticide doesn't harm human health before using it, but you can reduce your risk of pesticides on your food now by reading my past article on the topic.
Avoiding pesticides is an important part of staying healthy, and they are particularly toxic to pregnant women and children.
If you are interested in reviewing one of the better texts on this subjects Dr. Theo Colburn’s Reclaiming Our Stolen Future is one of the better books on the topic and in my personal library.
Pesticides should be avoided for a number of reasons. They are anti-life and have been clearly associated with a number of problems such as:
One of the best ways to avoid ingesting pesticides in your food is through buying organic foods. When you buy your food organic you get the assurance that there haven’t been any dangerous pesticides used, as mentioned in the above study, or harmful antibiotics used in the raising of the livestock. Further, many people realize that produce can contain pesticides but often overlook the pesticides in their meat.
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Pesticides Targeting West Nile-Carrying Mosquitoes May be a Thyroid Danger
Science, Precaution And Pesticides
Organic Produce Does Lower Pesticides in Kids
Pesticides May Decrease Male Fertility
Exposure to Pesticides Linked to Learning Problems
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