healthykids BE VERY AFRAID... BE AFRAID,
LEARN HOW TO AVOID THE REAL GOBLINS by Melinda Hemmelgarn
What’s really frightening are the toxic chemicals lurking in our families’ food and water.
O Pregnant women, infants and
children are most vulnerable, because expectant, young and growing bod- ies are less able to break down and excrete toxins. Halloween screams for a list of valid fears, plus strategies to keep our families safe. Pesticides: According to
Charles Benbrook, Ph.D., chief scientist at the Boulder, Colorado- based Organic Center, more than 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the United States alone. More than half of the most widely applied pesticides are known endocrine disruptors, compounds that mimic natural hormones and interfere with normal development.
38 Phoenix
ur little ones, masquerad- ing this month as ghosts and goblins, only look scary.
At Beyond Pesticides’ annual meeting last spring, Indianapolis- based neonatologist Dr. Paul Win- chester explained how pesticide exposure contributes to birth defects, autism, hyperactivity, diabetes, re- duced fertility, obesity and cancer. It’s no wonder that the President’s Cancer Panel Report recommends choosing foods grown or produced without pesticides.
Genetically Modified Foods: An estimated 70 percent of common processed foods lining supermarkets shelves, including Halloween candy, contain at least one genetically modified (GM) ingredient. Yet, genetically modified crops and foods (GMOs) have never been tested for long- term safety.
Since the introduction of GM crops 13 years ago, Benbrook says pesticide use has increased by more than 300 million pounds. Because GM crops are designed to with- stand pesticide spray, over time, weeds and pests naturally develop resistance, requiring more and stronger chemicals.
Mercury Rising: Recent U.S. Geo-
logical Survey research found mercury contamination in every fish sampled from 291 streams nationwide. More surprising, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) found mer- cury in assorted products containing high fructose corn syrup, likely the re- sult of the sweetener’s manufacturing process, says Renee Dufault, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration health officer. David Wallinga, a medical
doctor and director of the Food and Health program at IATP, says mercury is a toxic, heavy metal that harms brain development; no exposure level is considered safe. Plastic Poisons:
Like pesticides, plastics can release endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A (BPA) into food and water. Even more scary, “These
compounds are biologi- cally active at extremely low and previous-
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