the toxic burden we carry we all carry a burden of pesticides in our bodies; here's how to protect yourself by lindsay wilson or many years i lived by a large city park where every upon company sprayed herbicide under the large network of powerlines why does it matter? about one billion pounds of pesticides-an umbrella term that 90% of the us population has detectable concentrations of pesticide biomarkers in their urine and blood.” pesticide residues does it matter? chronic exposure to pesticides has been linked diseases like parkinson's; autism and attention deficit disorder; low birth weight in babies and neurodevelopment delays in children; other reproductive issues; type 2 diabetes; and gut dysbiosis an imbalance in beneficial and pathogenic bacteria which can negatively affect the central nervous system via the gut-brain axis it starts with your diet shown that switching to a diet of mostly organic foods quickly that focused on elementary school-aged children found that by swapping out conventional food with organic food for five days