Safe Alternatives for Baby and Child

“No need to panic if it’s organic.”  A catchy phrase, yeah?  Well, we are meant to believe hype such as “we couldn’t feed the world population without pesticides” and more, but we are happy to bring you truth on this topic today!

Our exclusive interview with Kristin Schafer, from Pesticide Action Network, really shines the light on the importance of organic eating and farming, and how it all comes full circle for our babies, children, ourselves and our precious planet.

Additionally, all mentioned links in this post will want to be bookmarked and referenced to often.  Help us spread the word on this important article and share with those you love.  By following a few basic tips here, we CAN make a difference in the elimination of highly hazardous pesticides.  Thanks!

US uses 25% of All Pesticides Worldwide

Does the U.S. use more fertilizer/pesticide (or more toxic) than other industrialized countries and if yes, why?

The U.S. uses roughly 25% of all the pesticides used worldwide – over one billion pounds every year. This is in part because we are a large, food-exporting country with many acres used for agriculture, but it also reflects a farming system that has become dependent on chemical inputs, rather than maintaining healthy soils and carefully managing pests.

What are synthetic fertilizers and pesticides made of?

Synthetic pesticides are made in laboratories, and almost all have active ingredients that are derived from petroleum and include some combination of chemical elements, such as chlorine, phosphorous, nitrogen or bromine. The active ingredient is designed to kill the pest; pesticides also contain “inert” ingredients, which are included to help apply the pesticide.

Do We Need Pesticides or Would We Not Have Enough Food For Everybody?

Lots of people say we need to use pesticides or we won’t have enough food for everybody, true?

This is one of the favorite arguments of pesticide companies and other who promote pesticide use, but we now know it is simply not true.  A recent global study by hundreds of scientists found that the best way to feed the world in the long run is small-scale farming that doesn’t pollute the soil and water with chemicals. In many cases this kind of farming can be more productive in the short term too – and it doesn’t risk the health of farmers, farm workers and neighboring communities.

Washing off Pesticides from Fruits and Veggies

Can you wash off pesticides by water or do you need special products to wash it off?

Washing with water can help with some pesticides, but others are “systemic” pesticides, which means they are applied to the soil and taken up through a plant’s roots into the flesh of the fruit or vegetable. These chemicals can’t be washed off.

Eating Organic During Pregnancy

Why is a switch to organic crucial for pregnant women and children?

Many chemicals are known to pass through the placenta and can affect the developing fetus during pregnancy. Depending on the timing, exposure to chemicals in the womb can cause serious damage when organs and systems are developing. Any reduction in this chemical load during pregnancy – like switching to an organic or mostly organic diet – can help protect the developing infant during this critical period.

Children are also especially vulnerable to the impacts of pesticides after birth, since all of their systems – their nervous system and reproductive systems, for example – are growing quickly, and exposure to certain chemicals at critical points in that development can have serious long term impacts. They also take in more food pound for pound than a full-grown adult, so their small bodies can actually be exposed to more pesticides. And recent studies confirm that children’s bodies aren’t able to clear their blood of toxins as quickly as adults, so pesticides that might be cleared from the system of an adult in a day or two can stay in a child’s body much longer.

Short and Long Term Health Effects of Pesticides in Children

What are the short/long term health effects of pesticides in children’s bodies?

Scientists have linked children’s exposure to pesticides to many different health effects – the health outcome can depend on the type of pesticide, the level of exposure, and – sometimes most critically – the timing of exposure in relation to a child’s development. Some of the strongest linkages have been found between pesticides and impacts on a child’s developing nervous system, including serious developmental delays. Studies have also found linkages with childhood cancers including leukemia, birth defects, low birth weight, and reproductive effects in adulthood from exposure during infancy or childhood, including low sperm count and infertility. If exposure levels are high, short term effects can include dizziness and nausea, rashes and immune system suppression.

Pesticides and Autism

Is it true that Autism can be linked to pesticide exposures, any studies you can refer to?

Yes, several studies have found some linkage between pesticide exposure and autism. One recent study in California found that women who were exposed to the pesticide endosulfan during pregnancy were six times more likely to give birth to an autistic child. Though the study was small, these findings are significant and researchers are working hard to confirm these findings. Endosulfan is one of the persistent pesticides our organization is working hard to ban in the U.S.

Detox of Pesticides

Can the body easily ‘remove’ these pesticides or are they staying in the body for a while?

It depends on the type of pesticide. Some persistent pesticides, in the same family as DDT, have breakdown products that can last for decades in our blood and fatty tissue. Sadly, these kinds of chemicals can be passed from mother to child both in the womb and during breastfeeding. While the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh any risk this contamination poses, it is tragic that nature’s perfect food has been compromised by these long-lasting chemicals.

Other pesticides can pass through the body in a matter of hours or days, clearing from the system in urine or sweat – though as noted above, recent studies show that it takes longer for children to clear these chemicals from their bodies.

Switch To Organic

Why is it so important for our future and the future of our children to switch to all organic?

Switching to organic not only protects your family from the health effects of pesticide residues, it protects farmer and farm workers from direct exposure to dangerous poisons, protects bees, fish, birds and other animals from chemical exposure, and protects the land, water and air from contamination. By buying organic, you are helping convince more farmers to make the switch to a safer and healthier kind of farming – and that protects their children too.

Natural Fertilizer vs Synthetic Fertilizer

Is ‘natural fertilizer’ like cow waste a problem too or just synthetic fertilizer and pesticides?

Building healthy, living soil with natural fertilizers like cow manure is the key to successful organic farming. Unless somehow mismanaged, these organic manures do not pose health risks.

Fertilizer/Pesticide at your Child’s School and Your Yard

If parents use fertilizer/pesticides in their yard (or used at school), can the child ‘absorb’ these as well (how)?

Yes, home and garden use of pesticides can absolutely increase children’s exposure. Chemicals can be tracked in from the lawn onto carpets, where the dust can then be inhaled or absorbed into the skin. Many cities in Canada have outlawed the use of pesticides on lawns to protect the health of the community’s children and families. And in many states and cities here in the U.S., parents and others are working hard to limit pesticide use in schools and parks.

Non-organic foods pregnant women and children should avoid?

We’ve just launched a new on-line tool that lets people see for themselves which foods are contaminated with what pesticides: www.whatsonmyfood.org.

With this website you can see what kinds of health effects are linked to the pesticides USDA has found in a wide range of foods. You’ll see that some of the highest numbers are found in leafy vegetables (spinach, lettuce, collards and kale). Green beans, peaches, apples and tomatoes also have high numbers of pesticide residues found.

Pesticides in Drinking Water

Pesticides are a major pollutant to our drinking water as well.  What is the best way to filter drinking water from harmful pesticides?

The best way to protect oneself from pesticides in drinking water is to help reduce the overall pesticide load on our waterways by supporting organic farmers and buying organic.

‘Pesticide Free’ = Organic?

Is ‘pesticide free’ produce from farmer’s markets as safe as ‘organic’?

Often a farmer marketing their produce as “pesticide free” is in the 3-year transition period required before they can be certified organic. During this period they are growing their food organically, but they can’t call their fruits and vegetables organic. Other farmers using the “pesticide free” label are using chemical fertilizers, but no pesticides. These fruits and vegetables are safer than those conventionally produced, but production may still be harming the environment. Small farmers will often come to markets themselves to sell their produce, so they can answer your questions directly about how their fruits and vegetables are grown.

Parents Making A Difference

It seems that many of the environmental pollutant pesticides that are sprayed (our neighbors/school lawn, the state spraying the sides of the highways, etc.) are out of our control.  How can parents make their voice heard to stop unnecessary pesticide use in their community?

Parents can make a tremendous difference by getting involved in a local group – or if there isn’t one already up and running in your community, by getting one started. There are many many groups around the country battling pesticide use, and state and national coalitions focused on schools, lawns, aerial spraying of pesticides and more. Parents can also join our North America network – one of five regional networks around the world of people concerned about pesticides. To find out more about state and local groups in the US, see the Affiliate page on our website: www.panna.org.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Anything else you’d like to add parents should know about?

One great way to “go organic” as a family is to find a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in your area. When you join a CSA, you sign up for a share of the farm’s produce – usually you pay for the season’s bounty up front (or maybe in two payments), which helps your small farmer meet expenses through the year. Then your box of fresh organic fruits and veggies (our CSA also includes eggs and bread) will be delivered to a nearby location where you pick it up once a week. When my two children were younger, we were regulars at our CSA farm’s solstice celebrations and open farm days – my children learned to pick ripe raspberries and pull weeds on “our” farm. They also learned the importance of dirt and good bugs – and how to milk a goat. There are hundreds of these wonderful community-supported farms across the country. Here’s a resource to help you find one near your community:  www.localharvest.org/csa/

About Kristin Schafer from Pesticide Action Network

Kristin Schafer, Senior Policy Analyst and mother of two
M.A., Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

Before joining PAN in 1996, Kristin worked for the World Resources Institute’s Sustainable Agriculture program, as a communications specialist for the U.S. EPA, and as an agro-forestry extension officer with the Peace Corps in Kenya. Prior to becoming PAN’s Senior Policy Analyst, Kristin was the Campaigns Department Director and coordinator of the international persistent organic pollutants campaign. Kristin has been lead author on several PANNA reports, including Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in our Bodies and Corporate Accountability. Her 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son love organic strawberries.

Pesticide Action Network promotes the elimination of highly hazardous pesticides and offers solutions that protect people and the environment. PAN North America is one of five independent regional centers of PAN International, a worldwide network of more than 600 organizations in 90 countries. For more than 25 years PAN has fought for environmental justice, sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty.

© 2007-2009 Safbaby.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced without express written consent of Safbaby.com. Disclaimer

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.