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Children and Organics

Children and Organics. Kari Volkmann-Carlsen. Why should we be concerned with organics for children?. Children’s health is different than adult health: Children’s bodies are still developing Their hormones fluctuate, causing differences in behavior

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Children and Organics

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  1. Children and Organics Kari Volkmann-Carlsen

  2. Why should we be concerned with organics for children? Children’s health is different than adult health: • Children’s bodies are still developing • Their hormones fluctuate, causing differences in behavior • They eat more than adults relative to their weight • Many children have less variety in what they eat compared with adults

  3. Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides, Lu et al How it was done: • 23 Seattle, Washington suburban kids, aged 3-11 • Phase 1: Days 1-3, consumed regular conventional diet • Phase 2: Days 4-8, diets replaced with organic food, as similar as possible to conventional diet • Phase 3: Days 9-15, returned to regular conventional diets • Pesticide levels analyzed through twice daily urine samples

  4. Pesticides, cont. Results: • Presence of some OP pesticides metabolites were significantly higher during conventional diet • Metabolites of malathion (MDA) and chlorpyrifos (TCPY) are frequently used pesticides Using same data, conducted study on pyrethroid pesticides (external exposure). Children whose families used household pesticides had more pesticide metabolites in urine. Diets were not considered.

  5. Effects of pesticide residues • “Young children may be especially vulnerable to pesticides because of the sensitivity of their developing organ systems combined with a limited ability to enzymatically detoxify these chemicals” –Brenda Eskenazi, et al • Dr. Elizabeth Guilette (University of Florida) studied Yaqui Indian children in Mexico. One Yaqui group lived in a valley, where chemical agriculture is practiced extensively. Other group lived on a hill, where there is no chemical agriculture. Valley children were behind in every measurement of development: coordination, learning, and memory. • (NewFarm.org)

  6. Effects, cont. OP pesticides have also been linked to: Neurobehavioral problems including decreased balance and reflexes Low birth weight Birth defects Childhood cancer Acute symptoms of pesticide poisoning: Miosis (constriction of the pupil) Excessive salivation Nausea and vomiting Fatigue Muscle weakness and inability to stretch Tachycardia (rapid beating of the heart) Respiratory distress (Eskenazi, et al)

  7. Organic Dairy The study: Differentiation of organically and conventionally produced milk by stable isotope and fatty acid analysis, Joachim Molkentin and Anette Giesemann from Germany. The goal: To discover a way to differentiate the two types of milk for consumer protection. The results: Organic milk always contained higher content of fatty acids, particularly conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Both types of milk had more fatty acids in summer than in winter, probably because of grazing. *Remember that this was done in Germany, which has different standards for organic.

  8. Influence of organic diet on the amount of conjugated linoleic acids in breast milk of lactating women in the Netherlands, Rist et al • 312 women in study, about 50% had strictly conventional diets, and the rest ate some organic meat and dairy (grouped into two: 50-90 % organic and over 90% organic.) • Found that rumenic acid and trans-Vaccenic acid (two types of CLA) were higher in the breast milk of women who had organic diets according to amount of organic they ate.

  9. CLA Benefits • Anti-carcinogenic effects • Lowers total cholesterol as well as triglyceride levels • Reduces body fat • Enhanced immune function • Increased bone formation • Anti-diabetic effects • According to a study done by Kummeling et al, of the Netherlands, the higher CLA in organic milk can protect against eczema in children under 2 years old.

  10. Other possible dangers of non-organic food production concerning children • An Indiana study showed that children conceived during the summer months, coinciding with herbicide and fertilizer application and run-off into drinking water, scored lower on the statewide test (1.6 million students in grades 3-10. ) • This is attributed to exposure to high nitrate and atrazine levels, which may affect normal production of thyroid hormones, during the crucial first stages of pregnancy. • It has also been suggested that growth hormones in conventionally produced milk are leading to early pubertal development in girls. I found no science to back up this claim. Instead, it is more probable that increased body weight is the culprit (McLean.)

  11. What’s being done? • The Organic School Project: http://www.organicschoolproject.org/ • 3 public elementary schools in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood are part of the program. They grow their own organic gardens, have classes that encourage eco-mindfulness, and eat food from local producers in the cafeteria. • The Edible Schoolyard: http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/homepage.html • MLK Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California grows an organic garden and teaches cooking classes using their produce. Every student must participate at some time during their three-year stay at the school. • SEPA?: Petition at http://www.organicconsumers.org/sepa-petition.htm • The Organic Consumers Association is trying get congress to pass the School Environment Protection Act (SEPA) which would ensure that school grounds implement integrated pest management systems to reduce exposure to pesticides. • The School Lunch Lottery: http://www.organicvalley.coop/culture/school_lunch/lottery.html • Organic Valley in collaboration with pediatrician Dr.Greene and the “renegade lunch lady” Ann Cooper. It is an event where lunch is served by lottery (typical school lunch, home-packed, or healthy, which includes organic) and is meant to promote discussion and action to change school lunches.

  12. Sources • “Emerging Health Benefits Of CLA”. <http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/NationalDairyCouncil/Health/Digest/dcd71-4Page1.htm>. • Eskenazi, Brenda, et al. "Exposures of Children to Organophosphate Pesticides and Their Potential Adverse Health Effects." Environmental Health Perspectives Supplements Volume 107, Number S3, June 1999 • Hepperly, Paul. "Indiana Study Shows Correlation Between Ag Chemicals and Fetal Impacts, From Pre-term Births to Children's School Performance". The New Farm 15 Jun. 2007. 10 Nov. 2007. <http://www.newfarm.org/columns/research_paul/2007/0607/testscores_print.shtml>. • Hepperly, Paul. "Through Choices Private and Public, Our Children's Future is in Our Hands". The New Farm 12 May 2006. 10 Nov. 2007. <http://www.newfarm.org/columns/research_paul/2006/0506/chemkids_print.shtml>. • Kummeling, Ischa, et al. "Consumption of Organic Food and Risk of Atopic Disease During the First 2 Years of Life in the Netherlands". British Journal of Nutrition (2007) 1-8. • Lu, Chensheng, et al. "A Longitudinal Approach to Assessing Urban and Suburban Children's Exposure to Pyrethroid Pesticides". Environmental Health Perspectives 114 (2006): 1419-1423. • Lu, Chensheng, et al. "Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children's Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides". Environmental Health Perspectives 114 (2006): 260-263. • McLean, Candis. "Growing Up Too Soon". Alberta Report/Newsmagazine. 16 Nov. 1998: 39. • Molkentin, Joachim and Anette Giesemann, "Differentiation of Organically and Conventionally Produced Milk by Stable Isotope and Fatty Acid Analysis". Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 388 (2007): 297-305. • Perr, Hilary A. "Children and Genetically Engineered Food: Potentials and Problems". Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 35 (2002): 475-486. • Rist, Lukas, et al. "Influence of organic diet on the amount of conjugated linoleis acids in breast milk of lactating women in the Netherlands". British Journal of Nutrition 97 (2007): 735-743. Pictures • http://www.opt.pacificu.edu/ce/catalog/pupil_anomalies/figure11.jpg (eyes) • http://www.clasohm.com/photodb/photo?photo_id=3425 (cow) • http://3191.visualblogging.com/archives/8023_1823139852/243529 (title page and sprouts on pg.2) • http://www.doriegreenspan.com/photos/uncategorized/milk.jpg (milk) • http://www.newfarm.org/columns/research_paul/2006/0506/chemkids.shtml (drawings) • http://z.about.com/d/menshealth/1/0/X/1/derm_22330014.jpg (eczema) • http://wo-pub2.med.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/PublicA.woa/4/wa/viewHContent?website=wmc+ct&contentID=7907&wosid=xb9J4qqyGgQPnBoEJvf5RM (tachycardia) • http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/graphics/pccgsn7.gif (chickens)

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