In a new study researchers in the U.S. have shown that organic
diets meant that children had less exposure to two common
pesticides. According to a study by Emory University researcher
Chensheng "Alex" Lu, PhD, an organic diet was found to lower
children's dietary exposure to two common pesticides used in
U.S. agricultural production. Lu says the substitution of
organic food items for children's normal diets substantially
decreased the pesticide concentration to non-detectable levels.
He says previous research has linked organophosphorus pesticides
to causes of neurological effects in animals and humans, and the
use of such pesticides in residential areas has now either been
banned or restricted by recent regulatory changes. This he says
helps to minimize children's exposure, but few restrictions have
as yet been imposed on agriculture. In his initial research, Dr.
Lu and his colleagues from Emory University and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically measured the
exposure of two or