Switching to organic foods provides children "dramatic and immediate" protection from widely used pesticides, according to a study published in the Sept. 1 online version of the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Levels of malathion and chlorpyrifos, the two most commonly used insecticides in U.S. agriculture, declined substantially in the bodies of elementary-school age children during a five-day period when organic foods were substituted for conventional foods. Average levels of both pesticides in the children decreased to non-detectable levels immediately after the introduction of organic diets and remained non-detectable until conventional diets were reintroduced, says the report. The study tested 23 elementary-school age children in the Seattle area over a 15-day period. During the middle five days, organic items were substituted for most of the students' diet, including fruits, vegetables, juices and wheat and corn-based processed items such as cereal and pasta.