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Because of their physiology, children face certain health risks that adults do not, and have been found to be particularly at risk to health dangers from exposure to pesticide residues in food. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, governmental agencies and independent organizations conducted studies on chemical pesticide toxicities. In 1996 the EPA began testing of all pesticides on the market to specifically determine their risk levels for children. Many pesticides have already been banned because of their propensity for causing cancer, birth defects, and neurological disorders in children and infants. Because there is conflicting information in the media about which chemicals are dangerous and to what degree, parents must be wise about the measures they take to protect their own children. Using only organically grown produce and refraining from the use of any pesticide products in one's own garden and lawn are two of the most important ways parents can protect their childre! Children face unique health risks because of their physiological differences with adults. Unfortunately, it is easy for adults to forget this fact. According to scientists Lawrie Mott of the Natural Resources Defense Council, pe
Joyce, C. "Scientists Concerned About Pesticide Effects on Kids," All Things Considered (NPR). 28 June 1993. www.elibrary.com [November 18, 2000]. Hebert, H.J. "EPA to Ban Common Pesticide," AP Online. 8 June 2000. www.elibrary.com [November 18, 2000]. The same could be true for cancer and birth defects. As a nation, perhaps we should spend less time worrying about environmental effects on children and more time dealing with social problems that are undeniable risks to children - drugs, gunshot wounds, etc. There is so much conflicting information in the media about pesticide toxicity, that consumers have a difficult time determining what is the truth. Many birth defects are also linked to pesticide residue. Birth defects account for about 11 percent of all deaths in the one to four age group, and about five percent of all deaths in the five to 14 age group. The link between pesticides and birth defects can be illustrated by a study by the University of Minnesota Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Pathology, which determined that the rates of genital and urinary tract birth defects in the children of Minnesota farmers and other families living in the state's farming communities are particularly high where specific pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are used. As of June 2000, the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports magazine has become involved in the pesticide issue, and has urged the federal government to require greater precautions in treating food crops with pesticides on behalf of America's children. Consumers Union has reported that there are approximately 20 specific chemicals that are to blame for most of the toxic residues found in our food. What about environmental issues besides pesticide use that can affect the health of America's children? The EPA has pledged to "consistently and explicitly consider children when assessing environmental hazards" (Dumanoski, p. 51) in the future - for example, hazards in air and water quality. Pesticide use is really only a drop in the bucket. American lifestyles are causing many of the medical problems suffered by children in this country. The National Agricultural Chemicals Association has announced that it will take the recommendations of all the involved agencies and organizations very seriously, and will take whatever actions are necessary to make the food safety system in the United States better for children (Joyce, PG). Gould, J. "Keeping our Children Safe: What You Can Do to Protect Them from Hazards in the Air They Breathe, the Foods They Eat, and More," Good Housekeeping. 1 October 1996. Volume 223, p. 145-147. Actress and mother Meryl Streep and other Connecticut mothers founded Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet in the late 1980s in response to the National Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) report "Intolerable Risk: Pesticides in Our Children's Food." The study examined data on the eating habits of American children and the pesticide levels in 27 different food crops, relating this information to rates of cancer and other diseases in children.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3190
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)
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