Child in Pool (photo by Phaedra Wilkinson, courtesy of morgueFile.com)

The intensive use of pesticides is one of the most dangerous aspects of monoculture farming, the practice of growing a single crop over a wide area, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to more thoroughly assess the risks pesticides pose to children and farmworkers.

But how much more assessment of the risks is needed before these toxic substances are recognized by the EPA as a severe threat human health?

Multiple studies have linked pesticides and Parkinson disease. In one, Scientists from Duke University, Miami University and the Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center “found those exposed to pesticides had a 1.6 times higher risk” of suffering from the debilitating disease. A study conducted at India’s Patiala University found evidence that pesticides have damaged the DNA of farmers in that country, making them more likely to develop cancer. Other researchers believe the reason organic produce has a higher nutritional content than conventionally-grown food is due to pesticides inhibiting the production of nutrients in plants.

Concerned parents have been shopping to protect their kids for some time now, and their desire to avoid pesticides has been a key driver of the explosive demand for organic food over the past decade. Even in challenging economic times, research from Mintel says households with small children that ate organic before the recession will probably continue doing so.

The EPA’s new policy proposal provides insight as to just how ubiquitous the presence of poisonous pesticides has become. Risk assessments would consider aggregate pesticide exposures from sources including residues in food, drinking water, on lawns, in swimming pools, and in the workplace, and the cumulative effects from multiple pesticides that have similar toxicity.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said: “It’s essential we have the tools to keep everyone, especially vulnerable populations like children, safe from the serious health consequences of pesticide exposure.”

Is there a better way to protect children “from the serious health consequences of pesticide exposure” than to shop organic whenever possible and apply pressure for an agricultural system that employs healthier alternatives to pest control?

The Environmental Working Group has come up with an iPhone app to guide produce shoppers looking for the fruits and vegetables that contain the lowest levels of pesticides and help decide which ones need to be bought organic.

Sign up to download the iPhone app or a PDF version of the guide: here.

The EPA is asking the public to comment on their new approach and how best to implement the improvements. For more information on the proposed policy, go to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook

To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter

For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com