Time: Pedatrics Reports Link from Pesticides to ADHD
We have created a generation of sick children. Enough with the mouse models and eye gaze studies and genetic pride and better diagnosis.
By Alice Park
Studies linking environmental substances to disease are coming fast and furious. Chemicals in plastics and common household goods have been associated with serious developmental problems, while a long inventory of other hazards are contributing to rising rates of modern ills: heart disease, obesity, diabetes, autism.
Add attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to the list. A new study in the journal Pediatrics associates exposure to pesticides to cases of ADHD in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 4.5 million children ages 5 to 17 have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and rates of diagnosis have risen 3% a year between 1997 and 2006. Increasingly, research suggests that chemical influences, perhaps in combination with other environmental factors — like video gaming, hyperkinetically edited TV shows and flashing images in educational DVDs aimed at infants — may be contributing to the increase in attention problems.
Read more: TIME
Lisa Somebody, please prove me wrong....I'm waiting
Sorry, can't prove you wrong. I think your right on.
Posted by: StephM | May 18, 2010 at 08:27 AM
I don't know if this study was designed to test ADHD prevalence or if I understand correctly, but this study seems to have found a prevalence greater than 1 in 10, and they excluded children who had received newborn care in an ICU, were premature, or who were low-birth-weight.
Am I misunderstanding the numbers mentioned in the abstract?
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/peds.2009-3058v1
Posted by: JenB | May 17, 2010 at 11:58 PM
wow, maybe they (the medical people) do need a "fall guy" for now but it won't be long until the sheer logic of thinking that toxins in vaccines (even in "teeny, tiny amounts") could harm a developing child.
Posted by: jen | May 17, 2010 at 06:35 PM
...the journal Pediatrics associates exposure to pesticides to cases of ADHD in the U.S. and Canada.
While this might have some very minor merit, the real goal of the study is to distract attention away from the REAL cause of the Autism, ADHD epidemic. ....Which is simply a bunch of vaccine pimps.
One can hardly wait for the release of the multi-million dollar study that "too much soda and video games" causes Autism... which will probably be published in the Lancet.
Posted by: cmo | May 17, 2010 at 04:31 PM
Poor Orac is also having a bit of an awakening regarding pesticides, although not about this story directly. Vaccines are still great though, but it must be a bit disconcerting to see the tip of the iceberg that the "anti-vac" nuts are shouting about. I'm sure he will not see the dots to connect though.
There is going to be a point when even the staunchest "skeptics" start doing some reevaluation of their talking points. Probably when they realize that every industry spokesperson and government organization meant to oversee those industries is feeding them complete and utter bullshit.
Posted by: Doodle | May 17, 2010 at 02:44 PM
The study that's being reported out today about the link between pesticides and ADHD is quite frankly not very convincing. Overall, if I read the study correctly, 10 percent of kids with low pesticide in their blood/urine/saliva (or whatever)had some moderate amount of ADHD, as reported by their parents. By comparision, 20 percent of kids with higher levels of pesticide had some moderate amount of ADHD, again, as reported by their parents. First off, this shows that at most 20 percent of ADHD cases may be linked to pesticide; which leaves the other 80 percent unexplained. Secondly, we don't know whether the kids with more pesticide in their systems were actually exposed to more pesticide, or merely had greater difficulty excreting it for some reason(think mercury). Third, the authors of the study relied on parental reporting for info. about whether their kid had ADHD or not, as opposed to school diagnosis or some other less subjective criteria. Many parents think their kid is ADHD when the kid is actually normal but active. (I'm not by any means suggesting that ADHD isn't a huge problem; I'm merely suggesting that it's not the kind of thing that parents can diagnose by themselves).
My money is still on the vaccines, not the pesticides, for autism, ADHD, severe allergies, asthma, and type 1 diabetes.
Somebody, please prove me wrong....I'm waiting...
Posted by: lisa | May 17, 2010 at 02:29 PM
Interesting how the words "heavy metals" do not enter into this article. And why is there a link to a school for autism? Subtle innuendo for pesticides causing autism?
And worse:
"The study also raises the possibility of setting a national threshold for safe levels of exposure;..."
Shouldn't there have been safe levels established before allowing these chemicals on the market for use with our food?
Posted by: kathleen | May 17, 2010 at 11:28 AM
"while a long inventory of other hazards are contributing to rising rates of modern ills: heart disease, obesity, diabetes, autism."
This writer is going to have to do some damage control with the shareholders for mentioning autism and external factors in the same sentence, or even throwing out the idea that there is actually an increase.
Posted by: Doodle | May 17, 2010 at 11:24 AM
It makes sense to me. Look at how the pesticides kill the bugs. They slowly rot away at the bugs digestive system until they die. Could this be the start of leaky gut? Poking small holes in our digestive system? We're building kids with leaky guts (see all the reflux with babies lately).
Posted by: DebinIL | May 17, 2010 at 09:13 AM
FoodSmart author Diana Hunter has been saying this for over a decade, from way back when she wrote her her award-winning "Ritalin-Free Child" book. Now she's on national tour with FoodSmart and I just read she won another award. I've seen her speak, watched her on tv, and read her books. I'm a lot healthier for it,and so is my family. She gives real advice for real people. Everyone, including the government, should pay more attention to this lady!
Posted by: FoodSmart Guy | May 17, 2010 at 08:43 AM