My Argument : Organic food has lower pesticide residue than non-organic foods which may decrease the chances of a child developing ADHD.

So what are Pesticides? you may ask.

According to The U.S EPA (Enviornmental Protection Agency) , pesticides are any substances or mixture of substances intended to destroy pests. Pesticide use has been commonly used in agriculture by farmers to kill any pests and weeds that might destroy their crops. Many pesticides used in farming are insecticides, herbicides, fungicides,and heavy metals to kill off either plants,fungi,and weeds. Conventional food have higher levels of pesticide residue than organic foods. The amount of pesticide residue is regulated by both the Federal Drug Administration(FDA), EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA) to make sure that the levels of pesticide residue found in fruits and vegetables do not pose a threat to human health.

www.epa.gov/pesticides.about (used defintion).
www.theorganicfoods.net/pesticides/5-common-types-of-deadly-pesticides-in-your-food.com (used the different kind  of pesticides)

"While no pesticides or herbicides can be used to grow crops that are certifiedorganic,these crops are not free of insecticide residue". Even though organic food and farming prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides , produce still contains pesticide residue in them .One of the reasons why pesticide residue may be included in crops is because produce can still be exposed to chemicals in the soil by past users.  Therefore, this shows that even though food may be labeled organic , organic food can still have levels of pesticides in them

Conventional	Organic
Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth.	Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants.
Spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease.	Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease.
Use herbicides to manage weeds.	Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.
Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth.	Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease.

The image demonstrates the differences between organic and conventional farming and the types of techniques each one of them uses. These are some of the ways that the USDA takes into account when deciding what foods should be labeled organic. Organic farming focuses on using natural fertilizers rather than chemical fertilizers. Instead of adding chemicals to control weeds,or the growth of animals farmers farmers rotate crops and offer animals organic feed . 

I chose this image because it shows the real methods that conventional farming does to their conventional foods. Conventional farming uses synthetic pesticides in order to get rid of unnecessary pests or weeds. As you can see this method is unsafe since the worker is using a mask to cover himself of the exposure of these chemicals.

Studies based on the link between ADHD&pesticides:

According to Dr.Phillip Landrigan , a chairman of the department of preventative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York a child's brain can go into an immense developement if pesticides enter the child's brain.

Many studies have been conducted on children aged 8-15 to determine whether there is a link between high levels of organophoshates found in their urine and ADHD. Researchers found that:

"Children eating organic foods had a six-fold lower level of organophosphate pesticide residue in their urine than those who ate more conventionally". 

*By children eating more organic foods they can lower their chance of having pesticides in their urine. The lower chance of organophosphate in their urine can decrease their chances of developing ADHD. Children who ate more conventional foods have a higher chance of increasing their chances of developing ADHD.Children who did not eat organic foods also have more pesticides in their urine than those who ate organic.

"For the most commonly detetcted DMAP metabolite, dimethyl thiosphosphate, children with higher levels than the median of detectable concentrations had twice the odds of ADHD(adjusted for ratio:1.93[95% confidence interval:1.23-3.02], compared with children with undetectable levels."
* This shows how people that have less DMAP metabolite had a lower chance of receiving ADHD.Children with higher levels than the detectable level therefore, had twice the odds of having ADHD. DMAP metabolite is a type of organophosphate: a pesticide, parents should be aware because it may have an effect on their childs' neurological development.

 

The video shown above discusses  the ways how organophosphates pesticides  are used for farming and housing. It also talks about the studies that the University Emory conducted that link the exposure of organophoshates to ADHD. Their was a 55 percent increase of a children developing ADHD by high levels of peticide metabolites seen in their urine. This video goes in depth the processes that researchers conducted towards diagnosing children with this condition.  The surveys and the relation to the breakdown of products allowed researchers to determine ADHD. I find this video interview credible because the interviewer is a researcher and a doctor in public health. She recommends buying organic foods and washing produce in order to reduce pesticide exposure and decrease a childs risk of developing ADHD.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/6/e1270(used quote)