Pesticide Use Has Been Linked to ADHD in Children
Parents who are concerned about their child’s exposure to environmental toxins may have one more thing to worry about. A recent study linked childhood exposure to pesticides with children at a higher risk for developing ADHD.
As a result of the research, parents are now encouraged to wash all produce thoroughly to get rid of residual chemicals that are easy for children to ingest. In the study, researchers tracked pesticide breakdown in children and found high levels of the chemical in the urine samples of children who were nearly two times as likely to develop ADHD.
How Pesticides Affect Children
The specific pesticides studied were called organophosphates and were linked to both cognitive and behavioral issues in children. Even more disturbing is the fact that previous studies conducted on farming communities detected the same risks in local populations. However, this was the first study to examine how agricultural pesticides can affect children throughout the US.
These chemical pesticides are designed to work as toxins in the nervous system. That’s exactly how they are used to kill pests in an agricultural setting and can be passed onto children by eating non-organic produce to cause similar damage.
Researchers believe that these pesticides can contribute to ADHD because they affect a set of brain chemicals closely related to those found in children with ADHD. Although the EPA has tried to regulate residential pesticide use for both extermination and lawn care, the greatest exposure risk for young children continues to be pesticides found in food.
How to Protect Your Kids from Pesticide Toxicity
As a result of the study, parents are urged to buy organic fruits and vegetables that contain significantly less pesticides, especially for young children. Even fruits and vegetables purchased from a farmers’ market are more likely to contain fewer pesticides than commercial produce in a supermarket.
Parents can also do their part by washing any produce thoroughly to remove residual chemicals that could be ingested by young children. The study went so far as to confirm that children with higher levels of pesticides in their urine were two times as likely to develop ADHD, leading to a 100% risk.
For parents who are concerned about their children’s exposure to chemicals at home, it’s recommended to contact professionals for any routine pesticide use for extermination. Instead of using over-the-counter pesticides to kill insects, it’s better to rely on an Alabama pest control company who knows how to handle harmful chemicals according to government regulations.