[ARCHIVED] Does Eating Organic Food Reduce Pesticide Exposures and Health Risks?
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Diet is an important source of pesticide exposure, particularly for children, but data are lacking on the amount of pesticides consumed in the diet relative to exposures from other sources. Available data suggest that organically-grown food contains fewer synthetic pesticide residues than conventionally-grown food, and that eating an organic diet can result in lower exposures to some pesticides. However, there is currently no hard evidence that conventional food has a higher level of risk than organic food, due to a lack of research on the relative health risks and benefits of organically- versus conventionally-grown food. Consumers must weigh a variety of dietary and non-dietary factors when making food choices, such as cost, nutrition, food safety, and the environment.