Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides

Abstract

We used a novel study design to measure dietary organophosphorus pesticide exposure in a group of 23 elementary school-age children through urinary biomonitoring. We substituted most of children’s conventional diets with organic food items for 5 consecutive days and collected two spot daily urine samples, first-morning and before-bedtime voids, throughout the 15-day study period. We found that the median urinary concentrations of the specific metabolites for malathion and chlorpyrifos decreased to the nondetect levels immediately after the introduction of organic diets and remained nondetectable until the conventional diets were reintroduced. The median concentrations for other organophosphorus pesticide metabolites were also lower in the organic diet consumption days; however, the detection of those metabolites was not frequent enough to show any statistical significance. In conclusion, we were able to demonstrate that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to organophosphorus pesticides that are commonly used in agricultural production. We also concluded that these children were most likely exposed to these organophosphorus pesticides exclusively through their diet. To our knowledge, this is the first study to employ a longitudinal design with a dietary intervention to assess children’s exposure to pesticides. It provides new and persuasive evidence of the effectiveness of this intervention.

Comparison of food consumption frequencies among NHANES and CPES children: Implications for dietary pesticide exposure and risk assessment

“…Dietary intake has been identified as an important source of pesticide exposure among US children, particularly for organophosphorus (OP) and pyrethroid pesticides (Fenske et al, 2002;Clayton et al, 2003;Curl et al, 2003;Morgan et al, 2005;Lu et al, 2008aLu et al, , 2006bRiederer et al, 2008). Characterizing consumption patterns usually involves empirical and/ or probabilistic descriptions of how individuals vary with respect to the frequency and amounts of the foods they eat.…”

Multimedia measurements and activity patterns in an observational pilot study of nine young children

“…Using a protocol that substituted an organic diet for a child's conventional diet for a 5-day period, Lu et al (2006a) showed that young children's exposures to the agricultural pesticides chlorpyrifos and malathion can be significantly reduced. Lu et al (2006a) reported that the median urinary concentrations of the specific metabolites for chlorpyrifos and malathion decreased to nondetectable levels after the introduction of the organic diet and remained at nondetectable levels until the child's conventional diet was re-introduced. Conversely, Lu et al (2006b) used the same protocol for a pyrethroid study and concluded that residential pesticide use is the most important factor influencing a child's potential exposure to pyrethroid pesticides.…”

Temperature and Relative Humidity Affect Weed Response to Vinegar and Clove Oil

“…The researchers did not speculate on the implications of the exposure. (Lu et al, 2006) In the summary of an article published in the journal Food Additives and Contaminants, authors from the Organic Materials Review Institute and Consumers Union describe a study that compared the number and amounts of pesticide residues on "conventional", "IPM," and "organic" produce. The researchers used three sets of data on fruit and vegetable crops collected and analyzed by the Pesticide Data Program of the USDA; the Marketplace Surveillance Program of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation; and private tests conducted by Consumers Union.…”