Child and adolescent dietary intake of produce with high pesticide exposure

Abstract

Widespread use of pesticides in agricultural and residential environments has led to frequent exposure, yet intake of pesticide‐contaminated foods among children and adolescents has not been thoroughly assessed. Dietary intake of produce most commonly contaminated with pesticides as established by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is described. We analyzed 24‐hour dietary recall data from 106,970 children and adolescents (6–18 years) from the 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Population‐weighted proportions of the 14 highest ranking EWG fruits and vegetables were estimated. Approximately 42% of total fruit/vegetable intake came from foods on the EWG list. Consumption of EWG fruit accounted for 33% of total fruit intake, mostly in the form of apples. EWG vegetable consumption accounted for 47% of total vegetable intake, with potatoes (60.9%, SE: 2.0) and lettuce (18.6%, SE: 1.2) comprising the majority. Berries were most commonly consumed by Non‐Hispanic white (85.2%, SE: 3.8), and non‐poor (76.0%, SE: 3.6) children. Among Non‐Hispanic black and Mexican‐ American children, the greatest proportion of intake came from dark leafy greens and apples, respectively. Although most children eat less than the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, these results indicate produce more commonly eaten by children are characterized by higher pesticide contamination.