By Sandy Powers

The Environmental Health Perspectives just released the results on children’s exposure to pesticides in conventionally grown produce and juices. School children in Seattle, Washington had their urine tested on a regular basis. Children who ate conventionally grown fruits, vegetables and juices--like most of the produce in the average grocery store—had six times the pesticide residue in their urine than children who ate organically grown food. Malignancies in children linked to pesticides include leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and cancers of the brain. So called "safe levels" of pesticides are usually established for adults, not children. A child’s body is smaller, as is the liver, so the body is not as well equipped to handle the toxins in food. It is up to the parent to protect the health of their children. A good place to begin is with organic food.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has mandated that no organic food can contain added hormones, antibiotics, synthetic pesticides, irradiated components, genetically modified organisms, or reprocessed sewage. No such mandate exists for conventionally grown foods.

Conventionally grown foods with the highest pesticide absorption, according to the USDA, are green peppers, green beans, celery, peaches, strawberries, and grapes. Switch to organics for these foods. And don’t forget the milk.

American dairy farmers inject hormones into cows to increase milk production. This increase in milk production requires frequent milking, which leads to udder irritation and infections that require antibiotics. Since the infections don’t always completely clear up, the USDA permits a certain amount of pus to remain in the milk. This non-organic milk your children are drinking contains residues of added hormones, antibiotics, and, yes, pus. Organic milk has none of these additives.

Make these changes today to put you and your family on the path to health.