Marilyn Lopes
Extension Specialist, Family Life Education
Cape Cod Extension
University of Massachusetts
Copyright/Access Information
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently released a report
on Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children. Members of
the committee which researched and wrote the report were trained
in such wide ranging areas a toxicology, biochemistry, statistics,
nutrition, and pesticide
chemistry.
The report URGES PARENTS TO CONTINUE TO EMPHASIZE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
IN THEIR CHILDREN'S DIETS. The long term health benefits (reduced
risk of colon cancer, for example) of a diet which emphasizes
fruits and vegetables appear to outweigh the risks of pesticide
residues in the current food supply in the United States. However,
the report made several significant recommendations regarding
the regulation of pesticides and pesticide
residues on food.
The NAS report suggest that LABORATORY TOXICOLOGY STUDIES SHOULD
TAKE INTO ACCOUNT A RANGE OF AGES OR DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES of the
test animal. Most studies have been conducted on mature animals
(usually mice or rats) and do not take into account the possible
differences between young and mature animals or between children
and adults. The report points out that children are not "small
adults" but that they often differ from adults in many ways,
including the development of their nervous and immune systems.
As a result they may break down (metabolize) or eliminate pesticides
at different rates than do adults. Children or infants may be
more sensitive than adults to some pesticides, while they may
be less sensitive to others.
The NAS committee also expresses CONCERN ABOUT THE CURRENT DESIGN
OF FOOD CONSUMPTION STUDIES. While food consumption surveys now
take into account
regional variation, they do not look at the difference in what
people eat at different ages. Infants and young children tend
to eat fewer kinds of foods than adults but consume more food
relative to their body weights than do adults. The report recommends
the future food consumption surveys
consider seven subgroups of "young people" - 0 to 12
months, 13-24 months, 25-36 months, 37-48 months, 49-60 months,
5 to 10 years, and 10 to 18 years. Such a survey would enable
researchers to determine diet patterns and perhaps to identify
particular food to track more carefully.
The report also notes that MORE INFORMATION IS NEEDED REGARDING
PESTICIDE
RESIDUES. For example, many studies have not included or concentrated
on children or infants. In addition, very little has been reported
regarding the effects of food processing on pesticide residues.
The report also points out that pesticides can show up in drinking
water, and this must be
taken into account. In addition, people may be exposed to pesticides
or other chemicals in the air, in soil, on pets, or in indoor
settings. Finally, the report notes that a process should be developed
to assess the risks from exposures to more than one pesticide
residue. Several of the insecticides which are used in food production
are related to each other chemically and cause similar effects
on animals or humans. Residues of more than one of these materials
might be present at the same time.
The NAS study indicates many scientists believe that pesticides
in the diet do not represent a major food safety concern. However,
the assumptions which were made regarding "theoretical risks"
are subject to debate, especially for infants and children. The
authors of the report have said
that they hope that their recommendations, if adopted by the various
federal agencies, will lead to the DEVELOPMENT OF MORE ACCURATE
RISK ESTIMATES.
So the bottom line is that while some reports may stress the "pesticide
residues" side of the story, and some consumers may react
to those reports by changing their food purchasing habits, parents
would be wise to maintain or increase the amounts of fruits and
vegetables they feed their children.
According the members of the National Academy of Sciences committee
who authored the report, as well as the vast majority of health
professionals, most agricultural researchers, and several environmental
organizations which are working toward significant reductions
in the use of agricultural pesticides, THE BENEFITS OF EATING
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WILL BE MUCH GREATER THAN ANY POTENTIAL
SMALL RISKS FROM PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN THE FOODS.