ATTENTION-DEFECIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

According to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s website, ADD/ADHD is a problem with inattentiveness, over-activity, impulsivity, or some combination of the three.  For these problems to be diagnosed as ADHD, they must be out of the normal range for a child's age and development.  ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood. It affects about 3 - 5% of school aged children.

ATTENTION-DEFECIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AND URINARY METABOLITES OF ORGANOPHOSPHATE PESTICIDES. Bouchard MF et al.,

Pediatrics, 125(6):1270-1277 (2010) http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/125/6/e1270

This recent study of children and pesticides by three doctors of Harvard University including Dr. Maryse Bouchard who is also associated with the University of Montreal, documented the prevalence of ADD/ADHD in children who had organophosphates in their urine.  The study showed a direct correlation between ADD/ADHD in children and the pesticides in their systems, and was a top health news story featured on Fox and CNN, and in the New York Times, Newsweek, the Utne Reader and elsewhere. 

In Dr. Bouchard’s study, children exhibit strong symptoms of ADD/ADHD for example, lack of focus, hyper-excitability, inability to sit still and complete school tasks.  Further investigation revealed when placed on an organic diet for two weeks, most symptoms of ADD/ADHD disappeared.

Since the test group is representative of the entirety of children in the US, and not just those who congregate in areas with a high concentration of pesticides, these findings are startling, and according to the authors, presents a need for immediate action and extensive research regarding pesticides.