Pretty much everyone we have ever met KNOWS that a chemical compound designed to kill creatures of even the smallest size could possibly have adverse effects on human beings. More to the point, though, a recent study of 1,139 children ranging in age from 8 to 15 years old found a definite link between the concentration of pesticide ‘markers’ in the children and the existence of ADHD or other behavioral problems.

We expect that the data generated by this study will definitely raise more than a few eyebrows and add fuel to the fire already burning regarding the topic of pesticide and herbicide use in the United States.

Exposure to pesticides used on common kid-friendly foods — including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery — appears to boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, new research shows.

Youngsters with high levels of pesticide residue in their urine, particularly from widely used types of insecticide such as malathion, were more likely to have ADHD, the behavior disorder that often disrupts school and social life, scientists in the United States and Canada found.

Kids with higher-than-average levels of one pesticide marker were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as children who showed no traces of the poison. ( source )

Several of us on the Water Testing Blog staff have small children and it saddens us to learn that supposedly ‘safe’, also known as ‘better than giving them candy or chips’, types of snacks may fall into the category of foods that may contain the toxins mentioned in the article.

In the end…

…we will start washing even the frozen fruits and, of course, testing our drinking water. If the government and big business can’t even keep toxins off of our supposedly safe foods, should we REALLY trust them to keep contaminants out of our drinking water?