#1: Food Allergies.  Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City found an association between food allergies and the levels of a pesticide breakdown product in urine. People with high levels of dichlorophenol, a breakdown product of the herbicide 2,4-D and of chlorine used to disinfect tap water, were more likely to suffer allergies to milk, eggs, seafood, and peanuts.   Dichlorophenol acts like an antimicrobial and could interfere with healthy bacterial levels in the gut, which, in turn, could upset the body’s natural immune reactions to certain allergens in food.

#2: Memory Loss. Another review from University College London recently concluded that low levels of pesticides, such as those considered safe for farm workers who are exposed on a daily basis, cause significant damage to cognitive function—your memory, the speed at which you process information, and your ability to plan for the long term. The review used data from 14 different studies and looked at organophosphate pesticides, which are some of the most harmful chemicals used in agriculture.

#3: Diabetes. Scientists have been noticing a link between pesticides and diabetes for years. The latest evidence comes out of the Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting, where Robert Sargis, MD, PhD, released the results of a study that suggest tolyfluanid, a fungicide used on farm crops, creates insulin resistance in fat cells. A 2011 study published in Diabetes Care found that overweight people with higher levels of organochlorine pesticides in their bodies faced a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

#4: Cancer. More than 260 studies link pesticides to various cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, soft tissue sarcoma, and brain, breast, prostate, bone, bladder, thyroid, colon, liver, and lung cancers, among others. The President’s Cancer Panel suggests eating organic and avoiding plastic to lower your risk of environmentally triggered cancers.

#5: Autism & Other Developmental Diseases. How do you get autism? The world’s leading autism researchers believe the condition develops from a mix of genes and the pollutants encountered in the mother’s womb and early in life. Many insecticides effectively kill bugs by throwing off normal neurological functioning. That same thing appears to be happening in some children. A 2010 Harvard study found that children with organophosphate pesticide breakdown materials in their urine were far more likely to live with ADHD than kids without the trace pesticide residues.

#6: Obesity. Some agrochemical pesticides act as hormone disruptors, meaning they act like a fake version of a naturally occurring hormone in your body, they block important hormone communication pathways in the body, or they interfere with your body’s ability to regulate the healthy release of hormones. More than 50 pesticides are classified as hormone disruptors, and some of them promote metabolic syndrome and obesity as they accumulate in your cells, according to 2012 study appearing in Environmental Health Perspectives.Food isn’t the only place where these obesogenic chemicals could be lurking. Avoid canned foods and other foods packaged in plastic. Studies have shown that chemicals, such as BPA and phthalates, in food packaging could play a role in obesity as well.

#7: Parkinson’s Disease. More than 60 studies show a connection between pesticides and the neurological disease Parkinson’s, a condition characterized by uncontrolled trembling. The association is strongest for weed- and bug-killing chemical exposures over a long period of time, meaning it’s important to keep these toxic compounds out of your household routine. Uuse natural pest control measures.

#8: Infertility. Pesticides spell trouble in the baby-making department, thanks to their bad habit of not staying put. Atrazine, a common chemical weed killer used heavily in the Midwest, on Southern sugar cane farms, and on golf courses, has been detected in tap water. Doctors and scientists point to published evidence tying atrazine to increased miscarriage and infertility rates. Other pesticides cause a plunge in male testosterone levels. A 2006 study found chlorpyrifos, a chemical used in nonorganic apple and sweet pepper farming, and carbaryl, a go-to pesticide in strawberry fields and peach orchards, caused abnormally low testosterone levels.

#9: Birth Defects. Babies conceived during the spring and summer months—a time of year when pesticide use is in full swing—face the highest risk of birth defects. During these months, higher pesticide levels turn up in surface waters, increasing a mother’s risk of exposure. Spina bifida, cleft lip, clubfoot, and Down syndrome rates are higher when moms become pregnant during high season for pesticides.
 

WEED KILLER? USE VINEGAR NOT ROUNDUP 
 Spray plants with inexpensive white vinegar.  Use vinegar on gravel paths and brick walk-ways.  It is a proven effective, eco-friendly answer to Roundup. Monsanto agreed with the New York Attorney General’s office to discontinue the use of the terms “biodegradable” and “environmentally friendly” in ads promoting Roundup. These terms were lies. Roundup is not biodegradable nor environmentally friendly. Vinegar is cheap and easy to use.  How to Apply: use a watering can, a spray bottle or a pump-sprayer to apply vinegar.  Rinse sprayer after use, or metal part can corrode.  Make your application on a warm, sunny, calm day.  Use vinegar on walkways where grass and ornamental plants are not an issue. It keeps pathways free of unwanted growth. You can also use plain salt water.