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Pesticides and Food:
Why Children May be Especially Sensitive to Pesticides
Infants and children
may be especially sensitive to health risks posed by pesticides for several
reasons:
- their internal organs
are still developing and maturing,
- in relation to their body
weight, infants and children eat and drink more than adults, possibly
increasing their exposure to pesticides in food and water.
- certain behaviors--such
as playing on floors or lawns or putting objects in their mouths--increase
a child's exposure to pesticides used in homes and yards.
Pesticides may harm a developing child by blocking the absorption of
important food nutrients necessary for normal healthy growth. Another
way pesticides may cause harm is if a child's excretory system is not
fully developed, the body may not fully remove pesticides. Also, there
are "critical periods" in human development when exposure to
a toxin can permanently alter the way an individual's biological system
operates.
For these reasons, and as specifically required under the Food Quality
Protection Act (1996) , EPA carefully evaluates children's exposure to
pesticide residues in and on foods they most commonly eat, i.e., apples
and apple juice, orange juice, potatoes, tomatoes, soybean oil, sugar,
eggs, pork, chicken and beef. EPA is also evaluating new and existing
pesticides to ensure that they can be used with a reasonable certainty
of no harm to adults as well as infants and children.
For more information on programs and resources for protecting children
from pesticides:
- Pesticides
and Child Safety - With an estimated 74,000 children
involved in common household pesticide-related poisonings
or exposures in the United States in 1994, this document
provides recommendations for preventing accidental poisoning,
provides emergency numbers, and discusses basic first aid.
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