• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Eat Right Mama

A healthy slice of eating advice for moms & moms-to-be.

  • Home
  • Pregnant
    • Pregnant with Twins? Eat This!
    • Pregnancy weight gain
      • 5 Easy Ways to Curb Pregnancy Weight Gain
      • Pregnant? What if You’re Not Gaining Enough?
    • Vitamin & Mineral Supplements
      • Tips for Shopping for and Taking Your Prenatal
      • Do You REALLY Need a Prenatal Vitamin? Five Reasons Why You Might
      • Vitamin D and Pregnancy
      • Which Individual Nutrient Supplements Might You Need during Pregnancy?
      • Iron Deficiency Anemia during Pregnancy
    • Food Safety
      • 4 Step Food Safety Guide To Keep You Safe During Pregnancy
      • Food Safety Tips for Pregnancy
      • Should You Eat Fish While Pregnant?
    • Morning Sickness
      • Making Morning Sickness More Manageable Online Course–Grab Yours Now!
      • Morning Sickness Recipes to Beat the Queasies!
      • Must Try Morning Sickness Survival Tips for Moms-To-Be
    • Healthy Eating during Pregnancy
      • Iodine: How to Make Sure You’re Getting Enough
      • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Strawberries While Pregnant
      • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanuts When You’re Pregnant
      • How to Fight Sugar Cravings during Pregnancy
      • 5 Tips to Shop Smart when Pregnant
      • Are You Getting Enough Calcium While Pregnant?
      • “Baby Brain” is Real–Try These Tips to Help Your Brain Work Better During Pregnancy
      • Seafood Sources of DHA for Pregnancy
      • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanut Butter (Even When You’re Pregnant)
      • Glycemic Index 101
      • 8 Great Almond Recipes–Plus Why You Should Eat Them When You’re Pregnant!
      • Healthy Seafood Recipes…for Pregnancy & Beyond!
      • How to Cap the Caffeine during Pregnancy
      • Caffeine Content: a Mom Need-to-Know
      • Alcohol-Free Drinks for National Margarita Day!
      • Moms-to-Be: Another Reason to Can the Diet Soda?
    • Healthy Living during Pregnancy
      • Realistic Advice from Dietitians About Your Pregnancy
      • Eat To Sleep
      • Should You Drink Coffee While Pregnant?
      • Positive Attitude During Pregnancy Could Affect your Child’s Risk of Overweight
      • Pregnant or Trying to Be? Here’s What You Need to Know about Zika
      • Zika: Still a Worry for Pregnant Women
      • Pregnant? Here’s Help to Be Smoke-Free
      • Pregnant? Steer Clear of Environmental Chemicals
      • Realistic Advice from Dietitians About Your Pregnancy
      • The Power of Being Unplugged: Do You Need a Digital Diet?
      • Pregnancy Apps You Need Right Now!
    • Happy Mother’s Day
  • Breastfeeding
    • Breastfeeding Roundup: A Must Read for Moms
    • What is a Healthy Breastfeeding Diet?
    • Can You Lose Weight While Breastfeeding?
  • Trying to Conceive
    • Eating Your Way to Increased Fertility With Veggies
    • Smoking and Fertility: What You Need to Know
    • Zika: Still a Worry for Pregnant Women
    • Exercise… Too much or Too little When Trying to Conceive?
    • Welcome to The Fertility Project!
    • Happy National Chocolate Day: Chocolate for Fertility
    • A Healthy Lifestyle is Job One When Trying to Conceive!
    • How Weight Affects Fertility: What You Need to Know
    • Eating for Fertility
    • Insulin Resistance, PCOS, and Fertility
    • Why Healthy Gums are Important for Fertility
    • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome & Diet: What You Need to Know
    • The Road to Pregnancy with PCOS
    • Male Fertility in the News: Reliable Reads
    • Dad’s Diet Important for Fertility says Dave Grotto, RDN
    • Trying to Conceive? 14 Foods to Fuel Your Fertility!
    • Avocado–Slice One Today!
    • Is Your Body Ready for a Baby? Take Our Pre-Pregnancy Quiz!
    • Pregnant or Trying to Be? Here’s What You Need to Know about Zika
    • How to Cap the Caffeine during Pregnancy
    • Program Your Baby For Good Health…Starting before Pregnancy
    • Glycemic Index 101
  • Healthy Kids
    • A Healthy Future begins With Childhood Habits
    • Back to School Lunch: Tips to Avoid Tossing or Trading
    • Artificial Sweeteners & Your Child’s Diet
    • 4 Healthy Options for Your Picky Toddler
    • Just Say No to Juice for Babies says American Academy of Pediatrics
    • How You Feed Your Baby: The First Step in Preventing Obesity Later in Life
    • 3 Healthy Apps Your Kids Will Love!
  • Healthy Eating/ Recipes
    • Buying Time with the Slow Cooker
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds
    • 13 Good for the Gut Recipes You Need to Try This Summer!
    • It’s Soup Season! Try this Easy Creamy Veggie Soup
    • Ho Ho Hold the Carbs!
    • Say “Cheese” for this Late Summer Appetizer
    • Make Crepes your New Family Tradition
    • 3 Healthy Apps Your Kids Will Love!
    • Pizza on the Grill—-When It’s Too Hot to Cook!
    • Fueling Your Immune System during the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Is Your Diet a Fixer Upper?
    • Peanuts for Everyone! 25 Ways Eat Some Today
    • 5 Sandwich Fillings that Avoid Processed Meats
    • Meal Prep for Quick Family Meals
    • Steelhead Trout with Jicama Slaw–Great Leftover!
    • Quick Avocado Breakfast Tostada
    • 13 Good for the Gut Recipes You Need to Try This Summer!
    • Surprising Nutrition Advice from a Registered Dietitian
    • Go Green with a Registered Dietitian: It’s National Nutrition Month!
    • 12 Healthy Nut Recipes You Can’t Resist!
    • 8 Great Almond Recipes–Plus Why You Should Eat Them When You’re Pregnant!
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanut Butter (Even When You’re Pregnant)
    • Let Us Eat Chocolate!
    • Five Things You Can Do TODAY to Cut Your Heart Disease Risk!
    • Avocado–Slice One Today!
    • Channel Your Cravings into Something Healthy!
    • Healthiest Restaurant Main Dish Salads
    • Vegetarian Shopping– The A to Z Guide
    • Main Dish Salads For Supper–Deconstructed!
    • Eat More Veggies–Shopping, Storing, Cooking
    • Veggies: 13 Ways to Eat More
    • Building a Better Sandwich
    • Think Outside the Sandwich for Lunch
    • Blueberries for Breakfast!
    • Caffeine Content: a Mom Need-to-Know
    • Alcohol-Free Drinks for National Margarita Day!
    • Got Allergies? Try these foods!
    • Glycemic Index 101
    • Lunch Time at Preschool: Suggestions for Success
    • 4 Skin Moisturizers You Can Eat!
    • 3 Ways to Clean Up Your Beauty Routine
    • Hurricane Harvey–Safe Cooking from the Pantry
    • March is National Nutrition Month!
    • Trying to Lose Weight? Try These Tips
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds
    • March is National Nutrition Month!
    • The Mustard Seed Café
    • Make it a Cheesy Night with Fondue
  • Healthy Living
    • Limited Food Budget? Fitting in Fruits & Veggies
    • Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids
    • Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
    • Pregnant During Covid-19? Tips to Stay Healthy
    • Is Your Diet a Fixer Upper?
    • Eat To Sleep
    • Why You Should Try Pasture-Raised Pork
    • 5 Heart Health Myths for Women
    • Happy Healthy Heart Month!
    • Choline for Everyone: The Important Nutrient You’ve Never Heard Of
    • New Year, New You in 5 Easy Steps!
    • Food Safety Mistakes to Avoid!
    • Just Say No to Juice for Babies says American Academy of Pediatrics
    • Establishing Healthy Habits: Six Tips
    • Pesticides: A Risk Factor for ADHD?
  • Healthy Travel
    • Healthy Snacks for When You’re Traveling
    • Healthiest Restaurant Main Dish Salads
    • Thirteen Healthy Travel Tips
  • Parenting Advice
    • 10 Must-Have Baby Products for New Mamas
    • Positive Attitude During Pregnancy Could Affect your Child’s Risk of Overweight
    • Best Parenting Books for New Parents
    • Back to School Lunch: Tips to Avoid Tossing or Trading
    • The Power of Being Unplugged: Do You Need a Digital Diet?
  • Living Clean
    • Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
    • Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids
  • About Bridget
  • Bridget Swinney MS, RDN: Work with Me!
  • Contact
  • SHOP!
Home » Pesticides: A Risk Factor for ADHD?

Pesticides: A Risk Factor for ADHD?

September 14, 2016 by Bridget 2 Comments

Like it? Share it! Thanks:)
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Pinterest Pin it
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Google Plus Plus
Send To Devices Send

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)—it’s on the rise. That may have something to do with the amount and type of pesticides children are exposed to.

Community pesticide use is a common way that children get exposed to dangerous pesticides, which have been linked to ADHD. Read more at www.eatrightmama.com.

Fogging for insects? Don’t get exposed to dangerous pesticides!

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 7.2% of children have ADHD, though another estimate is as high as 10%. Autism Spectrum Disorder has also increased. The CDC estimates that 1 of every 68 children in the US having the disorder. Research has linked environmental chemicals to these neurodevelopmental disabilities. Pesticide exposure may also be one cause of learning disabilities.

Be careful with #insecticides: they are linked to an increased risk of #ADHD in kids. Click To Tweet

Types of Pesticides

One class of pesticides is organophosphates–a type of chemical that kills insects by disrupting the insect’s brain and nervous system. A 2010 study in Pediatrics looked at kids with average exposure to organophosphates. It found that kids with above average detection of pesticide residues in their system were twice as likely to have ADHD, compared to those with no detectable residues.

In 2001, several of the most common organophosphate pesticides were banned due to health concerns. Instead, synthetic pyrethroid pesticide use ramped up. Pyrethroids were considered a “safer” choice. Unfortunately, this class of chemicals has not been tested for neurodevelopmental effects. These are the pesticides most often used for home pest control as well as mosquito control in towns across the US. (Probably used even more often now due to concerns over Zika and West Nile. See my post about Zika here.) Also, pyrethroids are increasingly being used in agriculture.

Why is exposure to pesticides such a big deal for kids?

Environmental chemicals can affect neurodevelopment in infants and children. Read more at www.eatrightmama.com.

Infants & children are the most susceptible to chemicals.

  • The developing brain is more susceptible to neurotoxicants.
  • Children eat and drink more per pound of body weight than adults.
  • The dose of pesticides per body weight is likely to be larger in children.
  • Children age 6 –11 years have the highest urinary concentrations of dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites — markers of OP exposure — compared to other age groups in the U.S. population.

Where do kids get exposed to pesticides?

According to a position paper of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Children encounter pesticides daily in:

  • Air
  • Food
  • Dust and soil
  • On surfaces through home and public lawn or garden application
  • Household insecticide use
  • Application to pets
  • Agricultural product residues
Asian toddler on the floor. Babies and toddlers spend a lot of the day on the floor, where they could be exposed to pesticides. Read more at www.eatrightmama.com.

Babies and Toddlers spend a lot of time on the floor where they can pick up pesticide residues!

One study found that pesticide residues found on the floor were linked to higher amounts of residues in children. Even if you don’t spray your home for bugs, you may bring it home on your shoes. Babies and toddlers spend a lot of their day on the floor and put everything in their mouth, increasing their exposure.

Pesticides are Long Lasting in the Environment

Many pesticides hand around for a long time–and that’s a big problem! They are called Persistent Organic Chemicals or POPS. One study found that 12 years after the pesticide chlorpyrifos was banned, it was still found in the urine of 65% of the children tested.

What Can You Do to reduce your child’s exposure to pesticides?

Food:

  • Don’t, I repeat, DON’T stop giving your children fruits and vegetables; the nutrients in them are vital for growth and development, as well as short-term and long-term health.
  • DO Offer Your Child a Variety of Fruits and Vegetables; this will limit the amount of pesticide he consumes from any one food.
  • Wash all fruits and vegetables well before serving, even ones that you cut into like melon. Use a produce wash or a vinegar rinse, which is effective in removing pesticide residues. Use a mixture of white vinegar to water with a 1:3 ratio. Let your produce soak for 2 minutes, then rinse well. (Letting it sit in water longer than that can decrease vitamins in produce.)
  • Buy organic produce when possible, especially for produce with the most pesticides. See the Environmental Working Group list of Dirty Dozen produce here.

Home Pesticides:

  • Take a look at home pesticide use:
    • Are you using a lawn service that uses pesticides?
    • Do you use a Pest Control service that sprays pesticides inside or outside?
    • Do you use insect spray to kill roaches and other bugs around the house?
    • Do use chemicals on your pets to keep fleas and ticks away?
  • If you answered yes to any of these, carefully consider the risk/benefits of regular pesticide use to your family. You may want to discontinue or decrease your use of pesticides at home. Also restrict their entry into the home by only using them outside, taking shoes off inside, etc. You can also look for natural and less harmful methods/chemicals.
  • Ask to see your school’s pesticide use policy, which must be made available to parents. Find out if an Integrated Pest Management system is being used.
  • Keep your children inside for at least an hour after spraying and you have the windows closed if  your community fogs for mosquitos.
  • Consider using Integrated Pest Management techniques, which rely less on chemical pesticides.
  • Consider organic cotton and clothes made from organic cotton. According to the Rodale Institute, cotton growing around the world uses 16% of the world’s pesticides! The pesticide residues can linger in clothes, even after washing.

    Cotton uses 16% of the world's pesticides. Read more at www.eatrightmama.com.

    Cotton uses a lot of pesticides! Consider organic.

  • Don’t go the natural route for keeping mosquitos from biting. Read my post here about which repellants are most effective.

Environmental chemicals can be toxic to everyone, but especially to children and the unborn. Do what you can now to reduce the chemical burden for the children in your life, as well as yourself.

Resources:

EPA fact sheet Integrated Pest Control

Tips for Integrated Pest Management in Schools

Like it? Share it! Thanks:)
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Pinterest Pin it
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Google Plus Plus
Send To Devices Send

Filed Under: Baby/Toddler, Family Nutrition, Health News You Can Use, Healthy Eating, Living Clean, Uncategorized Tagged With: autism spectrum disorder and pesticides, cotton, integrated pest management, organophosphates, pesticides, pesticides and ADHD, pesticides and neurocognitive development, pyrethroid

Previous Post: « Veggies: 13 Ways to Eat More
Next Post: Welcome to The Fertility Project! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brent says

    September 11, 2020 at 2:27 am

    Never really thought about how pesticides might affect children with ADHD.

    Reply
  2. Lara Michael says

    December 21, 2020 at 12:22 am

    This is really informative. Everyone knows exposure to chemicals can have bad effects on the body especially in the brain, but I’ve never expected ADHD to be one of the things you can get. Thank you for this. Cheers!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hey there–I’m really glad you stopped by!

I'm Bridget...and I'm a mom on a mission to help you and your family eat healthier. I'm also a registered dietitian and author of three books on family nutrition.

Check Out My YouTube Intro!

Read More about Bridget…

Check out my latest book!

Follow Me Here for more nutrition wisdom!!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • One More Veggie: Join the Challenge!
  • Eat Red-Go Red! It’s Heart Month!
  • 5 Heart Health Myths for Women
  • On the Fifth Day of Christmas…
  • Food Safety Tips for Pregnancy

Categories

healthy eating

9 better than store-bought recipes alcohol-free holiday drinks avocado breastfeeding Bridget Swinney Bridget Swinney RD calcium-rich CDC cheap home workouts cheese chocolate Chrissy Carroll RD cocoa crustless quiche recipes eating for fertility eggs Elizabeth Ward RD Emily Kyle RD exercise family time fertility fruits healthy chocolate recipes healthy eating holiday eating tips Jessica Levinson RD Jessi Haggerty RD morning sickness nutrition Nutritioulicious overweight peanut butter pregnancy pregnancy nutrition prenatal nutrition prenatal vitamin salmon screen-free activities seafood Trying to Conceive Twelve days of Christmas vegetables veggies ways to stay on track over the weekend whole grains

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress