zations, public awareness of environmental toxins and synthetic growth hormones in our food has risen, and sales of organic food products have increased. The "Intolerable Risks" study reported that in some cases, depending upon the age of the child and other factors such as body mass, even brief exposures to certain toxins can cause damage to the development or function of an organ system. The report recommended that the EPA set new tolerance levels for pesticide use on food products, keeping in mind the differences between children and adults as well as health considerations.
In response, the EPA announced in 1995 a new national health policy under which all future EPA risk assessments (such as those dealing with toxins in food) would consider threats to children and infants. One year later, Congress passed the Food Quality Protection Act, which stated that infants and children need additional protection against exposure to pesticides; it requires testing of all pesticides to determine their effects on children. Under this law,
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