Friday, December 7, 2012

Pesticide in Tap Water Linked to Increased Food Allergies

Pesticide-Chemical in Tap Water Linked to Increase in Food Allergies By Mike Barrett, Natural Society 06 December 12 http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/14893-pesticide-chemical-in-tap-water-linked-to-increase-in-food-allergies


[Excerpted] Using government data, researchers at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology sought out to find the potential link between pesticides and food allergies. They were particularly interested in dichlorophenols, a class of chemical compounds encompassing the well-known herbicide used in Agent Orange, 2,4-D. For their research, they measured the presence of dichlorophenols in urine to find any connection.
"We wanted to see if there was an association between certain pesticides and food allergies, and we were specifically interested in dichlorophenols because those were the ones that had this antibacterial effect. When researchers have compared bacteria from the bowel in healthy kids versus bacteria in the bowel for kids that have lot of allergies, they've noticed a big difference," lead researcher Dr. Elina Jerschow said.
The researchers found that dichlorophenol-containing pesticides may be partly to blame for the rising cases of food allergies. The lead author of the study, Elina Jerschow, notes that these pesticides can 'weaken food tolerance' and subsequently lead to food allergies. The chemical is also added to chlorinate tap water....

...According to a 2008 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about an 18% increase in food allergies was seen between 1997 and 2007. Approximately 15 million people have food allergies, with children being most affected. About 8% of children have food allergies....

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