Pesticides in fruit, especially frozen fruit, may cause ADHD
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010
That healthy fruit-filled smoothie you make for your kids may not be so healthy after all thanks to pesticides in frozen fruit that may be linked to ADHD.
What kids eat is the leading cause of pesticide exposure and frozen blueberries and strawberries have been found to contain levels of the pesticide organophosphate malathion. And, a recent study shows a possible connection between exposure to pesticides and the development of ADHD.
A new study finds frozen fruit contains potentially dangerous levels of pesticides, which has been linked a higher risk of ADHD.
"The food that most often contained residues were the frozen blueberries, it's the frozen food that seems to be the worst for this one item," says Maryse Bouchard, lead author of the study. "Not all frozen foods contain more pesticides, but we can't really clean them well and I don't know how well they're cleaned before being frozen-maybe not as well as a mother would do."
Regular fruit and vegetables also can contain this pesticide and the study showed that even low levels of pesticides in a child's body more than doubled the possibility that he would have ADHD.
But Bouchard doesn't recommend eating less fruit and vegetables. Instead, she recommends washing fruits and vegetables really well, using a brush. Also, organic food contains less pesticide residue than regular food and fruit and vegetables from farmers' markets, even if not labeled organic, often contain less pesticides, she says.
Children are also exposed to this type of pesticide through products used to get ride of insects in the home, so Bouchard recommends against using chemical pesticides in the home of small children.
Liz DeCarlo is the senior editor at Chicago Parent.
See more of Liz's stories here.
Contact Liz at ldecarlo@chicagoparent.com
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VP of Communications, American Frozen Food InstituteBy Chuck Fuqua on Friday, October 21, 2011 The headline of this story is both misleading and inflammatory. The “study” in question does not single out frozen fruit as a potential cause of ADHD in children, as your headline implies. While the “study” references crop protection residue levels in frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and fresh celery, its authors admit that far more rigorous scientific research is needed to demonstrate a cause and effect relationship between the food kids eat and the development of ADHD. It is important to note that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2008 report on crop protection residues referenced by the “study” found that 98 percent of fruit and vegetable samples had no detectable residue levels at all. For those fruits and vegetables that contained detectable levels, USDA’s report states “the vast majority were well below established tolerances" as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Moreover, the USDA’s analysis was based on a very small sample size of frozen blueberries that included just 18 samples. Of these, five samples were found to have detection levels of 0.005 parts per million or less, which is well below the EPA tolerance level of 8 parts per million. The other 13 samples were residue free. U.S. health authorities recommend we should be eating more fruits and vegetables and in all forms – frozen, fresh, etc. Health advocates around the world agree that the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables far outweigh any potential risk of low levels of crop protection residues. For those concerned about crop protection residues, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises that they can be reduced or eliminated by washing fruits and vegetables with cold or warm tap water. It would be most unfortunate if the coverage of sensational and questionable studies of this kind scared consumers into avoiding the nutritional foods they need most for a healthy, active lifestyle. Hopefully, Chicago Parent will take greater care in the future. |
fruitBy Joan on Friday, October 21, 2011 buy organic |
study's on these pesticides?
By Jesse Hammes on Friday, October 21, 2011
Does the frozen food institute or any other growers/producers have studies that show whether these pesticides can be linked at even such low levels to adhd or any other health conditions? Does the FDA require washing or removal of such pesticides before packaging or selling? Are there members of the frozen food institute that already take these precautionary measures to insure the consumers good health already? Thank you, My family, avid consumers of frozen fruit