Healthy foods chef Christina Pirello comes to the aid of parents who are battling a pesticide-laden food chain

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  Feb-March, 2004  

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The hills are alive with the aid of pesticides, and, although it's officially used in "levels that are not known to harm humans," no one can say with any certainty what those levels truly are. So, healthy foods chef, author and host of the syndicated "Christina Cooks" program, Christina Pirello implores parents to note that it is no longer good enough to say that they want their children to stay away from potentially harmful pesticides. Christina wants to let parents know that--although adults are very possibly susceptible to negative health effects due to pesticides, children are at an even greater risk for a number of reasons. But, she adds that there are a number of ways parents can keep pesticides, and their potential threat at bay as much as possible.

As Christina explains, "Pesticides are actually poisons created to kill insects that can destroy crops and include herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and other chemicals. So many varieties were created to allow for a greater increase in productivity. They are sprayed on crops at levels designed to destroy insects. Although they are supposed to be safe for humans, many studies have shown that children's health is dramatically affected by pesticide toxins."

In one study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, it was revealed that children who consumed conventional produce and juice had six to nine times higher levels of pesticides in their systems than children who ate organic. And, according to experts, a child's diet was considered organic if 75% of the servings of fruits, vegetables, and juice was organic (the study did not consider meat, grains, or dairy).

Ms. Pirello adds that: "children are at a greater risk than anyone for these main reasons." Christina offers the following points to support her comment:

1. They are smaller and so intake proportionately more pesticides than adults.

2. They breathe more than adults, taking in more air pollutants.

3. They eat more food, again, proportionately to their size, so take in more chemicals.

4. With their faster metabolism, children absorb more pesticides into their intestines.

5. Pesticides can influence the development of children's hormones and have been linked to birth defects.

6. Children are 'closer to the ground,' literally. They spend more time near the earth, on the lawn, in the dirt, where more pollutants settle from the air and are sprayed on the ground.

7. Children put more things in their mouths, taking in external pollutants.

8. Children's bodies are less able to metabolize chemicals.

9. And, infants are at an even greater risk than older children. With immune function not fully developed in their first year of life, infants are even more susceptible to the toxic effects of pesticides.

It has been demonstrated in studies conducted on animals that pesticides sprayed on produce can damage the nervous and hormonal systems and the thyroid gland. And, of course, as Christina points out, children are at a higher risk because they eat more in relation to their size. Adds Richard Wiles, senior vice president at the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, DC-based research and advocacy organization: "Children's bodies aren't able to filter out chemicals as easily as adults do."

In their research, the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group found the highest levels of chemical residues in the following fruits and vegetables. Can't buy organic all the time? Then do choose organic when buying the 12 product items (all forms of them, including juice): apples; cantaloupe (Mexican); cucumbers; peaches; apricots; celery; grapes (Chilean); spinach; bell peppers; cherries; green beans; strawberries.

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Finally, what's a concerned parent to do in this pesticide-polluted world? According to Christina, there are many ways they can control the Pesticide monster. She suggests the following in order to help minimize the effects of pesticides on a child's health:

1. Purchase certified organic foods as much as possible. The federal standards disallow the use of any pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, genetically modified organisms, sewage sludge or any other chemicals in our foods.

2. Wash fruits and vegetables very well before eating.

3. Encourage your children to drink healthy amounts of water to flush their systems of toxins.

4. Minimize your children's intake of refined sugars ... these weaken immune function and leave your children susceptible to the ill effects of chemicals.

5. Minimize processed and junk foods in your children's diets ... the additives, chemicals and preservatives only add to the burden on their health.

6. Do not spray chemicals on your lawn, garden or in your home.

7. Do not use chemical cleaners in your home or on your laundry.

8. Use only 'green' cleaning products.

9. Make sure that your children wash their hands before eating ... even snacks ... especially if they have been outside.

10. Use only filtered or spring water for drinking and cooking.