Organic Food – Protecting Our Children

Organic Food – Protecting Our Children

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The current regulatory systems have failed to protect children and the wider population from diseases caused by pesticides. It is important to remember that the majority of people get their exposure to pesticides from food. Most people, including children, carry a body burden of a cocktail of these toxic chemicals with no scientific evidence that they are safe. However, there is ample evidence that these chemicals are harming our children [1]. As an example, the latest study on glyphosate shows that residue levels four times lower than the EPA’s ‘safe level’ cause numerous cancers, including hemolymphoreticular tissues (leukemia), skin, liver, thyroid, nervous system, ovary, mammary gland, adrenal glands, kidney, urinary bladder, bone, endocrine pancreas, uterus, and spleen (hemangiosarcoma).[2]

Currently, for consumers, the only way to avoid synthetic pesticides is to eat organically grown food. Most children are exposed to pesticides either directly by consuming food with pesticide residues or indirectly through the placenta and breast milk, as a result of pesticides in their mothers’ food. Multiple scientific studies show that consuming organic food is the most effective way to protect children, as most pesticide exposure occurs through the consumption of food from industrial farming systems.

Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the USA, and most people carry residues of it in their bodies. It is linked to numerous diseases. [3]  A study published in Environmental Research concluded, “An organic diet was associated with significantly reduced urinary levels of glyphosate and AMPA.” [4]

The researchers found that “The reduction in glyphosate and AMPA levels was rapid, dropping to baseline within three days. This study demonstrates that diet is a primary source of glyphosate exposure and that shifting to an organic diet is an effective way to reduce body burden of glyphosate and its main metabolite, AMPA.”
 [4]

This study contributes to a growing body of published scientific research that demonstrates an organic diet reduces exposure to a range of pesticides in children and adults.

A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that children who consume organic fruits, vegetables, and juices can significantly reduce the levels of organophosphate pesticides in their bodies. The University of Washington researchers who conducted the study concluded,

“The dose estimates indicate that consuming organic fruits, vegetables, and juice can decrease children’s exposure levels from above to below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current guidelines, thereby shifting exposures from a range of uncertain risk to a range of minimal risk”.

“Consumption of organic produce appears to provide a relatively simple way for parents to reduce their children’s exposure to OP [organophosphate] pesticides [5].”

Researchers in a 2006 study found that the urinary concentrations of the specific metabolites for malathion and chlorpyrifos decreased to undetectable levels immediately after the introduction of organic diets and remained undetectable until the conventional diets were reintroduced. The researchers from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, stated,

“In conclusion, we were able to demonstrate that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to organophosphorus pesticides that are commonly used in agricultural production. We also concluded that these children were most likely exposed to these organophosphorus pesticides exclusively through their diet [6].”

ORGANIC FOOD IS HEALTHIER!

The largest and most comprehensive peer-reviewed scientific study comparing organic and conventional foods was published in the British Journal of Nutrition by a team of international experts from Newcastle University, UK. It clearly demonstrated that organic foods are more nutritious. This meta-study analyzed 343 published peer-reviewed studies and found that antioxidant levels were 18-69 percent higher in organic food compared to conventional food. The study showed that levels of toxic heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, as well as nitrites and nitrates, were significantly lower in organic food. [7]

Antioxidants play a crucial role in preventing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress, a hallmark of cancer, also contributes to many chronic diseases. It occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals and the body’s ability to repair the damage caused by them. Free radicals damage various types of body cells and tissues through oxidation. Antioxidants help by “mopping up” these damaging free radical compounds, preventing them from causing harm. Numerous scientific studies demonstrate the benefits of diets rich in antioxidants, including their protective effects against cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune conditions, premature aging, cancers, and many other illnesses.

Protecting Our Children and Future

The most sensible way to reduce our children’s exposure to pesticides is to avoid them as much as possible. This isn’t complicated, and it’s very straightforward to do. For most people, our primary exposure to pesticides comes from food, followed by household insect sprays and garden treatments. There are many simple, effective, non-toxic, natural methods to control bugs in the house, and many helpful books are available on this topic. Similarly, pesticides aren’t necessary for controlling bugs and weeds in the garden and on the farm, and many valuable books on this subject can be found. [8]

Research shows that eating organic food can help protect children’s health before birth. A large epidemiological study involving over 37,000 women and their children, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, found that eating organic food was associated with lower rates of hypospadias (penile malformations) and cryptorchidism (undescended testes) in baby boys, both common male urogenital birth defects. [9]

This finding is significant as the WHO-UNEP meta-study on endocrine disruptors found an increase in urogenital malformations in baby boys, such as undescended testes and penile malformations. [10] The study in Environmental Health Perspectives shows that eating organic food can protect against the adverse effects of endocrine disruptors.

Currently, for consumers, the best way to avoid these poisons is to eat organically grown food that has been produced with organic guarantee systems such as third-party certification, participatory guarantee systems (PGS), as a member of an organic CSA scheme, or farmers’ markets that check their farmers’ production claims. These guarantee systems will ensure that the food is produced without toxic compounds. Most importantly, numerous scientific studies have shown that consuming organic food leads to significantly lower levels of these pervasive chemicals in humans, particularly in children.

What is the True Cost of Foods that Contain Poison Residues?

It is time to dispel the myth that foods from farming systems using synthetic pesticides are safe to eat. This includes low- or reduced-pesticide farming methods, as there is no credible science to confirm that any level of exposure is safe. The lack of thorough testing and regulators’ blatant disregard for current science means that, until these data gaps are addressed, the most sensible choice is to avoid foods from farming systems that use these toxic chemicals.

Some people complain about the cost of organic food. However, what is the true cost of foods that contain poison residues? No amount of money can undo the damage that small amounts of pesticides are doing to our children.

The most important question is, “How much is the health of our children worth?” As parents, we have a duty to care for them by giving our children the best start in life. Good health is one of the most essential factors. Buying and eating organic food is one of the most affordable and effective ways to achieve this and ensure the best start in life for our children.

References

  1. Leu, Andre, Poisoning our Children, the parents’ guide to the myths of safe pesticides, Acres U.S.A. Greely, Colorado, USA 2018, ISBN 978-1-601-73140-1.
  2. Panzacchi, S., Tibaldi, E., De Angelis, L. et al. Carcinogenic effects of long-term exposure from prenatal life to glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides in Sprague–Dawley rats. Environ Health 24, 36 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-025-01187-2 EPA R.E.D. FACTS Glyphosate, https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/fs_PC-417300_1-Sep-93.pdf
  3. Nancy L. Swanson, Andre Leu, Jon Abrahamson, and Bradley Wallet, Genetically engineered crops, glyphosate and the deterioration of health in the United States of America, Journal of Organic Systems, 9(2), 2014
  4. Fagan John, Larry Bohlen, Sharyle Patton, Kendra Klein, Organic diet intervention significantly reduces urinary glyphosate levels in U.S. children and adults, Environmental Research, Volume 189, 2020,
  5. Curl, Cynthia, Richard A. Fenske, and Kai Elgethun. “Organophosphorus pesticide exposure of urban and suburban preschool children with organic and conventional diets.” Environmental Health Perspectives 111, no. 3 (March 2003): 377–382.
  6. Lu, Chensheng, Kathryn Toepel, Rene Irish, Richard A. Fenske, Dana B. Barr, and Roberto Bravo. “Organic diets significantly lower children’s dietary exposure to organophosphorus pesticides.” Environmental Health Perspectives 114, no. 2 (February 2006): 260–263.
  7. M. Baranski et al., “Higher Antioxidant Concentrations and Less Cadmium and Pesticide Residues in Organically-Grown Crops: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analyses,” British Journal of Nutrition, July 15, 2014.
  8. Leu Andre, Growing Life, Acres U.S.A. Greely, Colorado, USA, 202, ISBN 978-1-60173-168-5
  9. Anne Lise Brantsæter, Hanne Torjusen, Helle Margrete Meltzer, Eleni Papadopoulou, Jane A. Hoppin, Jan Alexander, Geir Lieblein, Gun Roos, Jon Magne Holten, Jackie Swartz and Margaretha Haugen, “Organic Food Consumption during Pregnancy and Hypospadias and Cryptorchidism at Birth: The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa),” Environmental Health Perspectives, July 9, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409518.
  10. Vandenberg, Laura N., Theo Colborn, Tyrone B. Hayes, Jerrold J. Heindel, David R. Jacobs Jr., Duk-Hee Lee, Toshi Shioda, Ana M. Soto, Frederick S. vom Saal, Wade V. Welshons, R. Thomas Zoeller, and John Peterson Myers. “Hormones and endocrine-disrupting chemicals: Low-dose effects and nonmonotonic dose responses.” Endocrine Reviews 33, no. 3 (June 2012): 378–455. First published ahead of print March 14, 2012, as doi:10.1210/er.2011-1050 (Endocrine Reviews 33: 0000-0000, 2012).