Agrochemicals, home bug sprays, and lawn treatments could be causing chronic illness in your family.
Pesticides are designed to kill, although the mode of action they use
to put the stranglehold on pests varies. Whether it’s nerve gas–like
neurological disruption, the unbalancing of key hormones, or the
stunting of a plant’s ability to absorb life-sustaining trace minerals
from the soil, none of the chemical interventions seems all that
appetizing, especially considering that chemical residues routinely wind
up on and even inside of the food we eat everyday. Pesticides are also blamed for diminishing mineral levels in foods.
Agrochemical supporters tend to fall back on a “the dose makes the
poison” theory, meaning tiny exposures aren’t really that harmful.
Increasingly, though, independent scientists are debunking that belief,
even proving that incredibly tiny doses could set a person up for health
problems that might not crop up until decades down the line. Luckily,
eating organic, less processed foods can cut back on your pesticide
exposure.
Here are 7 health problems associated with pesticide-based agrochemicals.
Diabetes
Scientists have been noticing a link between pesticides and diabetes for
years. The latest evidence comes out of the Endocrine Society’s 94th
Annual Meeting, where Robert Sargis, MD, PhD, released the results of a
study that suggest tolyfluanid, a fungicide used on farm crops, creates
insulin resistance in fat cells. A 2011 study published in Diabetes Care found
that overweight people with higher levels of organochlorine pesticides
in their bodies also faced a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Prevent it: To save money on organic fare raised
without pesticides, cook with organic dried beans. In the home, avoid
using chemical air fresheners and artificially scented products—these
things are also blamed for inducing type 2 diabetes.
Cancer
More than 260 studies link pesticides to various cancers, including
lymphoma, leukemia, soft tissue sarcoma, and brain, breast, prostate,
bone, bladder, thyroid, colon, liver, and lung cancers, among others.
Prevent it: The President’s Cancer Panel suggests
eating organic and avoiding plastic to lower your risk of
environmentally triggered cancers.
Autism & Other Developmental Diseases
How do you get autism?
The world’s leading autism researchers believe the condition develops
from a mix of genes and the pollutants encountered in the mother’s womb
and early in life. Many insecticides effectively kill bugs by throwing
off normal neurological functioning. That same thing appears to be
happening in some children. A 2010 Harvard study found that children
with organophosphate pesticide breakdown materials in their urine were
far more likely to live with ADHD than kids without the trace pesticide residues.
Prevent it: Switching to an organic diet rapidly eliminates pesticide residues in the body.
Obesity
Some agrochemical pesticides act as hormone disruptors, meaning they act
like a fake version of a naturally occurring hormone in your body, they
block important hormone communication pathways in the body, or they
interfere with your body’s ability to regulate the healthy release of
hormones. More than 50 pesticides are classified as hormone disruptors,
and some of them promote metabolic syndrome and obesity as they
accumulate in your cells, according to 2012 study appearing in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Parkinson’s Disease
More than 60 studies show a connection between pesticides and the
neurological disease Parkinson’s, a condition characterized by
uncontrolled trembling. The association is strongest for weed- and
bug-killing chemical exposures over a long period of time, meaning it’s
important to keep these toxic compounds out of your household routine.
Prevent it: Don’t turn to chemical interventions to kill bugs in your home or garden. Instead, use natural pest control measures.
Infertility
Pesticides spell trouble in the baby-making department, thanks to their
bad habit of not staying put. For instance, atrazine, a common chemical
weed killer used heavily in the Midwest, on Southern sugar cane farms,
and on golf courses, has been detected in tap water. Doctors and
scientists point to published evidence tying atrazine to increased
miscarriage and infertility rates. Other pesticides cause a plunge in
male testosterone levels. A 2006 study found chlorpyrifos, a chemical
used in nonorganic apple and sweet pepper farming, and carbaryl, a go-to
pesticide in strawberry fields and peach orchards, caused abnormally
low testosterone levels.
Prevent it: Avoid the worst summer fruit, the kinds most likely to be laced with toxic pesticides. Instead, choose organic grapes, strawberries, and imported plums.
Birth Defects
Babies conceived during the spring and summer months—a time of year when
pesticide use is in full swing—face the highest risk of birth defects.
During these months, higher pesticide levels turn up in surface waters,
increasing a mother’s risk of exposure. Spina bifida, cleft lip,
clubfoot, and Down syndrome rates are higher when moms become pregnant
during high season for pesticides.
Prevent it: To protect yourself, use a water filter
that is certified by NSF International to meet American National
Standards Institute Standard 53 for VOC (volatile organic compound)
reduction. This will significantly reduce levels of atrazine and other
pesticides in your tap water.
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