Pesticide facts

Ever since Rachel Carson’s seminal work, “Silent Spring” was published in 1962, pesticide facts have come into question. Pesticide manufacturers are not required to test the long-term effects of low doses of pesticides in humans before putting them on the market. Thus, the potential harm to human life may not be evident until 30 or 40 years later. As a case in point, although the EPA banned the use of DDT in the U.S. in 1972, its effects may not be felt until much later. And DDT continues to be exported to other countries!



Pesticide facts are hard to come by, although their mechanisms of action are no mystery. It is now known that most pesticides can cause changes in both hormone and nervous system functioning, especially in children. Two classes of pesticides - chlorinated hydrocarbons and organic phosphates - are particularly harmful. (Read more about them at our Organic definitions page.) The EPA’s mandate to protect the public against such hazards has been inadequately enforced. (www.foodnews.org/reduce.php.) To complicate matters, little is known about the long-term effects of multiple pesticide exposure. According to the Environmental working group study with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, an average of 91 toxic chemicals were found in the bodies of “average” citizens from various walks of life. To learn more about the latest research on toxic chemicals, pesticides in food, and other helpful consumer tools, please visit the Environmental Working Group's website.

Concerns about pesticide exposure ride the wave of debate over food safety that has been surging for some time. From concerns over salmonella and the BSE scare to genetic engineering, consumers are becoming more aware of the impact of food safety and food quality on their quality of life. In fact, their very health is at stake.

In 1991, Congress created a new USDA program called the Pesticide Data Program, driven by concerns over the effects of pesticides in children. (Charles M. Benbrook, “Food Safety”, 2005.) Food samples were compared and claims made by food manufacturers could be substantiated consistently.

In 2002, the first study of pesticides in conventional vs. organic foods was published (Food Additives and Contaminants). They found that most oils, dairy, meat and poultry contributed very small amounts of pesticides to the diet. Certain produce and juices made from them, however, contained pesticide levels that caused concern. Conventional fruits and vegetables are 3-6 times more likely to contain residues than organic produce. If you want more information on this, click on the following link:

produce and pesticides

Recently, a study explored the relationship between the use of the pesticides endosulfan and dicofol in California, and an unusually high incidence of autism in children. (These two pesticides are similar in composition to DDT, and effect the nervous system.) To read the entire article, click on the L.A. Times link describing the pesticides and autism study.

You can find even more pesticide facts, as well as what is being done about them, by clicking on the following links: Pesticide Action Network North America , and Pesticide Action Network - United Kingdom . At the U.K. website, you can download a poster showing pesticide levels in food. Although it applies to the U.K., it also includes symptoms of chronic pesticide exposure.

Although some organic produce tested positive for pesticide residue according to this study, the percentage was small, and over the years, the percentage of organic produce containing residues has been decreasing since 1996. This may be due to improved organic farming and processing techniques, as well as better control of drift from conventional farms. Does this mean that organic farmers do not use pesticides? In fact, many do, but they include non-synthetic pesticides like sulfur, copper, oils, clays, and sometimes naturally-derived pyrethrins (which can be toxic but which break down quickly after spraying, leaving no residue). Recent studies at the University of California at Berkeley have shown, however, that even pyrethrins do not readily dissolve in water. They can end up on stream bottoms, where they can affect bottom-dwelling crustaceans. Thus, organic farmers are encouraged to avoid all broad-spectrum pesticides.

A recent study report by the Parkinson's Institute described the role of environmental factors in the formatio of Parkinson's disease. Specifically, they described the role of pesticides Paraquat and Dieldrin as potential risk factors for the disease, a role suggested by both epidemiological statistics and laboratory evidence.

The evidence appears to support what consumers have known intuitively – that they are exposed to more chemicals than they care for. To expect chemical companies to police themselves adequately, or the government to always act decisively for the common good, is naïve at best. Consumers must take charge and make informed choices about what is best for them and their families.

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