Driving pesticide
risks downward is important because, according to pediatrician Alan
Greene, M.D., chairman of The Organic Center's board of directors,
"Recent science has established strong links between exposure to
pesticides at critical stages of prenatal development and throughout
childhood, and heightened risk of pre-term, underweight babies,
developmental abnormalities impacting the brain and nervous system, as
well as diabetes and cancer."
"Yes, with surprising frequency,
all Americans, including infants and children, are exposed to
pesticides via their diet and drinking water," added Dr. Benbrook.
In
fact, Dr. Benbrook noted, recent USDA pesticide residue and food
consumption surveys show that
most people consume three to four
residues daily just through fruits and vegetables."Accounting
for residues
in conventional milk, tap water and other foods, the
average American exposes him or herself to ten to 13 pesticide residues
daily," Dr. Benbrook added.
The frequency of multiple
pesticide residues in conventional produce contributes significantly to
each person's daily dose. Multiple residues are eight-times more likely
in conventional produce than in organic produce. Reasons why include:
-
A conventional spinach sample in 2006 testing was found to have nine
residues, a kale sample had 10, and a raisin sample contained 11;
- Almost half the conventional peach samples in 2006 contained five or more residues;
-
Conventional sweet bell peppers top the multiple-residue chart, with
two samples containing 12 pesticides in 2003 testing; and,
- More than one-third of conventional fruit and vegetable samples in 2006 contained multiple residues.
Converting Nation's Produce Farms to Organic, Coupled with Buying Organic Imported Produce, Would Reduce Pesticide Risks by 97%
The Organic Center bases its 97 percent risk reduction estimate upon a
"Dietary Risk Index" (DRI), developed by the EPA's Office of Inspector
General (OIG). The EPA-OIG used the index in a 2006 appraisal of the
impacts of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) on pesticide
dietary risks.
The Organic Center applied the same DRI to
estimate the changes that would occur in risk levels if all produce
were grown using organic methods. The Organic Center concluded that a
100 percent reduction in risk is unattainable because of the widespread
use of pesticides on conventional farms, and the movement of pesticides
in the air and water onto organic farm fields.
"While it will
take years to convert most American fruit and vegetable farms to
organic methods, the process is well underway and accelerating fast,
especially in the Western U.S.," Dr. Benbrook noted. Already, organic
produce accounts for nearly ten percent of retail sales of fresh fruits
and vegetables. Several major fresh produce grower-shippers have
recently announced aggressive timetables to convert all or most of
their fruit and vegetable acreage to organic, assuming consumer demand
continues to grow.
The report points out that a substantial
reduction in pesticide exposure will remove, or markedly lesson, an
important risk factor for several serious public health problems.
SOURCE:
www.organic-center.org
