Organic safety
2012-09-05 18:55:25.011244+02 by Dan Lyke 1 comments
Lot of articles flying around on Annals of Internal Medicine: Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?: A Systematic Review.
Only 3 of the human studies examined clinical outcomes, finding no significant differences between populations by food type for allergic outcomes (eczema, wheeze, atopic sensitization) or symptomatic Campylobacter infection. Two studies reported significantly lower urinary pesticide levels among children consuming organic versus conventional diets, but studies of biomarker and nutrient levels in serum, urine, breast milk, and semen in adults did not identify clinically meaningful differences.
Brian Fung in The Atlantic: Organic Food Isn't More Nutritious, but That Isn't the Point, points out that the movement started out because of worries about externalities.