Pesticide Exposure May Contribute to ADHD

Diet is a major source of pesticide exposure for children. Frozen blueberries, strawberries and celery have been found to contain levels of the pesticide organophosphate malathion.  The study, “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Pesticides,” in the June print issue of Pediatrics (published online May 17), asserts a connection between exposure to high levels of pesticides and the development of ADHD. The study focused on 1,139 children and measured pesticide levels in urine samples. The authors concluded that organophosphate exposure, at levels common among U.S. children, may contribute to a diagnosis of ADHD.