Sign your name: Tell Congress to support sustainable organic agriculture!

Our new study shows that organic works! Levels of toxic pesticides in participants’ bodies dropped up to 95% after just one week of switching to an organic diet.

Dear Representative,

A groundbreaking peer-reviewed study published in the journal Environmental Research found that switching to an organic diet reduced the levels of pesticides found in participants by up to 95% after just six days.

Organic Works

The study, Organic Diet Intervention Significantly Reduces Urinary Pesticide Levels in U.S. Children and Adults, found significant reductions in pesticides that have been associated with increased risk of autism, cancers, autoimmune disorders, infertility, hormone disruption, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The most significant declines involved organophosphates, a class of highly neurotoxic pesticides linked to brain damage in children: the study found a 95% drop in levels of malathion, a probable human carcinogen, and a nearly two thirds reduction in chlorpyrifos. Organophosphates are so toxic to children’s developing brains that some scientists have recommended a full phase out.

The neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin dropped by 83%. Neonicotinoids are among the most commonly detected pesticide residues in baby foods. They are associated with endocrine disruption and changes in behavior and attention, including an association with autism spectrum disorder. Neonicotinoids are also a main driver of massive pollinator and insect losses, leading scientists to warn of a ‘second silent spring’.

Levels of pyrethroids were halved. Exposure to this class of pesticides is associated with endocrine disruption, adverse neurodevelopmental, immunological and reproductive effects, increased risk of Parkinson’s and sperm DNA damage.

Finally, 2,4-D dropped by 37 percent. 2,4-D is one of two ingredients in the Vietnam War defoliant Agent Orange. It is among the top five most commonly used pesticides in the U.S. and is associated with endocrine disruption, thyroid disorders, increased risk of Parkinson’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, developmental and reproductive toxicity and damage to the liver, immune system and semen quality.

Make organic for all

The benefits of organic farming for eaters, farmers, farmworkers, and the environment are clear. A large and growing body of research demonstrates that organic farming systems are more profitable for farmers, reduce consumer and farmworker exposure to toxic pesticides and provide an impressive range of environmental benefits, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving energy to protecting pollinators and building healthy soils.

And yet, demand for organic food in the U.S. far outstrips supply. Despite record-breaking sales in the organic sector, less than one percent of American farmland is certified organic. The U.S. accounts for 43 percent of the global market for organic food but just five percent of land under organic production worldwide. This is a missed opportunity to deliver major economic benefits for America’s farmers and rural communities, public health benefits across society, and major conservation benefits for our nation.

I urge you to advocate for and significantly increase investment in organic food and farming in the U.S. Specifically, I urge you to expand research, technical assistance, extension, and credit for organic and conservation farming and to increase support for beginning, disadvantaged, existing and transitioning organic farmers. I also urge you to advocate for public procurement policies and food distribution programs that recognize the benefits of organic farming and support increased purchases of organic food.

We all have the right to food that is free of toxic pesticides. The farmers and farmworkers who grow our nation’s food, and their communities, have a right to be protected from chemicals linked to serious health problems. And the way we farm should protect rather than harm the climate, biodiversity, soil and water that we need to grow food sustainability into the future. With greater public investment, we can make organic the norm for all. But we need your help to make that a reality.

Sincerely,
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