Chemical exposure and behavior

A recent study shows an association between pesticide exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This comes as no surprise to me, given there have been many studies linking chemical exposure to physical health, emotional health, cognitive health and behavioral health.

I thought it was worth pointing this one out in particular because this study is dealing with children. Often times the concern about chemicals is related to the cumulative effects of low levels of exposure over long periods of time. This shows that even over a short period of time (since a child's life span isn't that long compared with an adults), exposure is having serious impacts.

If you want to reduce how much you or your family are ingesting these toxins invest in your health by buying organic as much as possible and avoiding chemical bug sprays (and chemical sunscreens, and cleaning products, and so on).

If you're on a budget but want to make the most impact with the money you can spend on this, start with buying the dirty dozen (12 produce items that contain the most pesticides) organic, listed here starting with the worst offender:

celery
peaches
strawberries
apples
blueberries
nectarines
bell peppers
spinach
kale
cherries
potatoes
grapes (imported)

And here's a handy wallet guide you can download so you don't have to memorize the list. If you're more into technology than me, it appears you can also download this info on your iphone.

Read the Time magazine article about the study here. Highlights below:

Chemicals in plastics and common household goods have been associated with serious developmental problems, while a long inventory of other hazards are contributing to rising rates of modern ills: heart disease, obesity, diabetes, autism.

Add attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to the list. A 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.

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.

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.