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High Pesticide Residues Found on Fruits and Vegetables
- 8-1-2007
- Categorized in: Pesticides
Pesticide residues on some fruits and vegetables can exceed safe limits for children, according to a study.
Over 27,000 food samples were tested, and most were found to be within the established U.S. legal limits for pesticides on those foods. However, legal limits do not define safety, and residues of some chemicals on some foods would frequently expose a young child to a dose greater than the government's official estimate of the 'safe' daily intake of those pesticides.
The foods found to have the highest levels of pesticide residues were domestic and imported peaches, grapes, apples, pears and spinach; U.S.-grown green beans; and U.S.-grown winter squash, both fresh and frozen.
Of these, peaches and frozen winter squash had the highest residue quantities, about 10-fold higher than the other "high scores" according to the study. Foods with the lowest levels of pesticide residues were frozen/canned corn, milk, U.S. orange juice, U.S. broccoli, bananas and canned peaches.
Slightly higher, but still within legal limits, were frozen/canned sweet peas, U.S. and imported apple juice, Mexican frozen winter squash, Canadian tomatoes, Brazilian orange juice and U.S. wheat.
U.S.-grown foods were just as likely to contain harmful pesticide residues as foods from other countries. In fact, 11 of the 12 highest residue scores were found on U.S. grown foods, according to the study.
An apple grown in the United States was found to typically contain residues of four pesticides, and one sample of spinach was found to have residues of 14 different pesticides. In general though, the analysts noted that just a handful of chemicals accounted for most of the toxicity loading in crops.
In fact one chemical, methyl parathion, was found to account "for more than 90 percent of the total toxicity load."
In 1996, the Food Quality Protection Act was passed, which requires low pesticide levels to protect children. However this law was met with industry resistance and has not been fully implemented, according to the study.
There are ways for parents to give their children fruits and vegetables without exposing them to unhealthy pesticide residues.
Washing and peeling peaches, pears and apples can reduce the amount of pesticides that usually show up on these fruits, because pesticides tend to concentrate just on or under the skin. Unfortunately, washing and peeling won't get rid of residues on squash and potatoes.
In those cases, the pesticides permeate the entire vegetable and you can't wash them off. Also you can't peel spinach or green beans. In these cases, it may be best to consider buying organically grown foods.
Over 27,000 food samples were tested, and most were found to be within the established U.S. legal limits for pesticides on those foods. However, legal limits do not define safety, and residues of some chemicals on some foods would frequently expose a young child to a dose greater than the government's official estimate of the 'safe' daily intake of those pesticides.
The foods found to have the highest levels of pesticide residues were domestic and imported peaches, grapes, apples, pears and spinach; U.S.-grown green beans; and U.S.-grown winter squash, both fresh and frozen.
Of these, peaches and frozen winter squash had the highest residue quantities, about 10-fold higher than the other "high scores" according to the study. Foods with the lowest levels of pesticide residues were frozen/canned corn, milk, U.S. orange juice, U.S. broccoli, bananas and canned peaches.
Slightly higher, but still within legal limits, were frozen/canned sweet peas, U.S. and imported apple juice, Mexican frozen winter squash, Canadian tomatoes, Brazilian orange juice and U.S. wheat.
U.S.-grown foods were just as likely to contain harmful pesticide residues as foods from other countries. In fact, 11 of the 12 highest residue scores were found on U.S. grown foods, according to the study.
An apple grown in the United States was found to typically contain residues of four pesticides, and one sample of spinach was found to have residues of 14 different pesticides. In general though, the analysts noted that just a handful of chemicals accounted for most of the toxicity loading in crops.
In fact one chemical, methyl parathion, was found to account "for more than 90 percent of the total toxicity load."
In 1996, the Food Quality Protection Act was passed, which requires low pesticide levels to protect children. However this law was met with industry resistance and has not been fully implemented, according to the study.
There are ways for parents to give their children fruits and vegetables without exposing them to unhealthy pesticide residues.
Washing and peeling peaches, pears and apples can reduce the amount of pesticides that usually show up on these fruits, because pesticides tend to concentrate just on or under the skin. Unfortunately, washing and peeling won't get rid of residues on squash and potatoes.
In those cases, the pesticides permeate the entire vegetable and you can't wash them off. Also you can't peel spinach or green beans. In these cases, it may be best to consider buying organically grown foods.
©Copyright 2005 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
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The Aim of Public Education is Not to Spread Enligtenment at All; It is Simply to Reduce as Many Individuals as Possible to the Same Safe Level, to Breed a Standard Citizenry, to Put Down Dissent and Originality. ~ HL Mencken |
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The Cure for Health Care and Indigenous Power is to Remove the AMA and FDA, and Unleash the Power and Creativity of the Free Market. Many People Have Been Brainwashed into Thinking the State Protects Them. The Truth is the Exact Opposite. ~ Morris Fishbein |
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You may find links that lead to
interesting information, or there
may be links to undesirable sites.
If you find any of these undesirables,
PLEASE let us know the URLs so
we can block them from our campaign. |