Make America Heathy Again (MAHA) Report Makes Claims about Pesticides
The Trump Administration today released the highly anticipated report from its Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, outlining several potential causes of chronic disease among children. The report addresses what it refers to as ultra processed foods, seed oils, and pesticides, among other aspects of the U.S. food system.
Some highlights of what was said in the report can be found below:
Page 15 “Pesticides, microplastics, and dioxins are commonly found in the blood and urine of American children and pregnant women—some at alarming levels.”
Page 15-16 “Children are particularly vulnerable to chemicals... Research suggests that for some chemicals, this cumulative load of exposures may be driving higher rates of chronic childhood diseases.”
Page 34: “... the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a robust risk based approach that considers hazard and exposure for assessing the risks of chemicals, including pesticides, to human health and the environment.”
Page 35 “... chemicals are important tools that are inextricably linked to economic growth... Yet regulatory and medical systems around the world largely evaluate chemicals or chemical classes individually and may be neglecting potential synergistic effects and cumulative burdens, thereby missing opportunities to translate cumulative risk assessment into the clinical environment in meaningful ways.”
Pg. 39 “The 2009 American Healthy Homes Survey, a collaborative effort by EPA and HUD, demonstrated the widespread presence of pesticides in U.S. homes, with almost 90% showing measurable levels of at least one insecticide on their floors."
Pg. 42 "Crop Protection Tools: including pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. Some studies have raised concerns about possible links between some of these products and adverse health outcomes, especially in children, but human studies are limited."
The Executive Order creating the MAHA Commission directs that a second report be issued within 80 days of this report, providing policy recommendations based on the findings of the first report. IFCA is working with our national partners to continue to advocate for science-based policies and will provide additional information and updates to members.