Pesticides and our Health Food is life giving and life sustaining. The very act of growing food and eating is holy. It reminds us of our interdependent relationships to farmers, to the land, and to God (John 6:26b-27a, 35). Today, much of our food production is reliant on pesticides. However, there is mounting evidence that pesticides pose a threat to human health. These threats include learning disabilities, autism, cancers, nervous system disorders, and fertility problems in women. They can affect developing fetuses, infants, young children, and adults of all socio-economic backgrounds. Sources of pesticide exposure include insect repellants, weed killers, and flea collars or inseticides. Pesticides are also found in soap, pool chemicals, shelving paper, and even the waxy coating on fruits and vegetables. Studies have found higher rates of cancer, retinal degeneration and Parkinson’s disease among farm workers who work more directly with pesticides. The majority of them are people of color and overwhelmingly Latino. What we can do Garden without pesticides. Download this fact sheet for healthy pest management techniques. Eat organic foods and a varied diet while pregnant and breast feeding. Also feed this diet to your children. Download this sheet to learn which fruits or vegetables to look out for if eating organic isn't possible. Look for natural soaps that do not contain chemicals. Click here for fact sheets on how to manage pests of all kinds without pesticides. Start your own garden plot or join a community supported agriculture farm for cheap, organic produce. Grow plants native to your region, instead of lawns, which are naturally resistant to most pests. Contact your local botanical society for more information. Ask your child's school administrators to inform you when they will spray herbicides on the grass or suggest alternative methods they could employ. Avoid using flea collars or pesticide on your animals as traces of these chemicals can end up on the floor where little ones play, making them and your pets, susceptible to harmful side effects. Learn more Pesticides Action Network of North America Physicians for Social Responsibility Organic on a Budget Environmental Protection Agency Integrated Pest Management- Evangelical Environmetal Network Environmental Working Group Food News National Center for Farmworker Health Read more about other environmental health topics on the NCC website Environmental Health- Home Toxics Environmental Justice and Health Children’s and Women’s Health Lead NEW Pesticides Cosmetics NEW Our daily Bread- Food and Health Plastics Mercury- Our Children’s Inheritance Air Quality Flame Retardants Take Action!