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Baby Food Fears: Are Pesticides and Other Contaminants Posing Threats to Children?
From botulism spores in infant formula to arsenic and insecticides in baby food, concerns are swirling over contamination in foods marketed as essential nutrition for young children. A U.S. recall of infant formula tied to multiple cases of babies sickened with botulism has sparked fears in households around the country in recent weeks. But health and legal experts say other types of contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides could be posing additional threats.
An analysis unveiled Tuesday by the public health watchdog Friends of the Earth said more than two dozen types of pesticides have been detected in “Good & Gather” baby food made and sold by Target. The analysis is the latest among many testing projects conducted in recent years showing the prevalence of pesticide residues in foods commonly fed to children and generally considered healthy. The group said it found residues of 29 pesticides in Apple Fruit Puree and Pear Fruit Puree baby food, including 16 pesticides that are classified as “highly hazardous” to human or environmental health.
Ten of the pesticides detected are banned in the European Union, the report found, and eight are linked to hormone disruption, posing potential risks to brain development and a child’s immune system. Six of the pesticides found in the baby food are classified as “probable” or “likely” carcinogens by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the report.
Parents Say School-Issued iPads Are Causing Chaos With Their Kids
Lila Byock’s son had always been good at math. But when he started sixth grade last year, he began to bring home D’s and F’s. It crushed his self-esteem. His teachers told Byock that he clearly understood the material, she said, but he just couldn’t stay on task on his school-issued Apple iPad.
Her son’s school, like many in the Los Angeles Unified School District and across the country, provided an iPad to each student for use throughout the school day, even during band and gym class. The iPad program, which ramped up during the Covid pandemic, was meant to give kids a technological leg up and help track students who are falling behind. But Byock said her son revealed that he used the iPad during school to watch YouTube and participate in Fortnite video game battles.
“It makes no sense to me,” Byock said. “We’ve banned the cellphones, but it doesn’t matter, because the kids are using the school-issued devices in exactly the same way.”
Yale Study: Wireless Radiation Increased the Expression of Autism-Related Genes in Laboratory Models
Environmental Health News reported:
A recent study by Yale researchers published in Cell Reports found that exposure to wireless radiofrequency (RF) radiation — emitted by cell phones, cell towers, and Wi-Fi — interfered with neurodevelopment and increased the expression of autism-related genes in laboratory models of the fetal brain.
This was a state-of-the-art study using human cortical organoids — tiny, lab-grown models of the developing human brain. Created from stem cells, these organoids form many of the same early brain structures seen in a fetus. They are not full brains and have no consciousness, but they closely mimic early fetal brain development, and scientists use them to study how environmental exposures such as air pollution, microplastics, and diesel fuel could impact the brain.
This study adds to a growing body of research reporting cell phone health risk, particularly during pregnancy and early childhood when the brain is developing rapidly and uniquely vulnerable to environmental impacts. The American Academy of Pediatrics has repeatedly called for an update to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission highlighting how children absorb proportionately higher rates of wireless into their brains and bodies during sensitive stages of development. Numerous experts and medical groups recommend reducing exposure, especially to children.
The researchers highlight that previous studies in animal models have shown autism-like behaviors and increased hyperactivity and memory impacts. They state that the parallels drawn from these studies “underscore the relevance of our findings in a human context.” Some human studies have associated prenatal and postnatal exposure to RF radiation with lower cognitive scores and behavioral problems.
Maine Experts Warn School-Based Health Centers Lead to Gender Care Without Parental Consent
A panel of education researchers, clinicians and attorneys warned Nov. 20 that Maine’s school-based health centers may be facilitating gender-related services for minors without parental consent, and blamed state laws that grant broad medical autonomy to adolescents with what they described as limited oversight.
The forum, hosted by former state Rep. Heidi Sampson and the Maine Education Initiative, drew parents, school board members and elected officials. Republican gubernatorial candidates Jim Libby and David Jones were among those in attendance. Presenters included child psychologist Dr. Tom Moyer, Maine Policy Institute research fellow Jonah Davids and Children’s Health Defense general counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg, each outlining what they said are under-recognized vulnerabilities in how schools’ partner with medical providers.
Sampson opened the event by citing Maine’s decades-long academic decline and criticizing the Department of Education’s “Back to Basics” initiative as “branding, not genuine reform.” She said past comments from the commissioner suggested academics would “take a backseat” to other priorities and added that the goal must be “transparency and accountability” to restore trust in public schools.
“I think there’s something like 26 or 29 of these school-based health centers in our state already, and the goal is to have them everywhere,” Sampson said. “The blueprint has been laid, and we need to wake up, smell the coffee and fight back.”
