Posted on Jan 24, 2014 by Vivienne Bartle
This is a US study, but beware………know where your food comes from and how it is processed because not all growers are organic.
Chemical Chaos
With the heat of summer comes a most remarkable bounty from Mother Nature: Fresh-from-the-farm potatoes to toss on the grill, juicy peaches bursting with flavor, and crunchy bell peppers to liven up salads.
But there’s a dark side to fresh local produce. Many of your favorite picks from the produce section or farmer’s market are tainted with chemicals that aren’t just toxic to garden pests and bees, but possibly to you, too. In fact, many weed- and bug-killing chemicals have been linked to serious diseases like childhood cancer, lupus, obesity, ADHD, and autism, among many others.
We can’t veggie-wash our way out of this problem, either. Most United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) experiments looking at pesticide contamination in produce involve testing produce that’s already been washed or peeled.
Looking at more than 28,000 samples taken by the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) created a list of the most contaminated produce to highlight the overall pesticide loads of common fruits and veggies. See why sourcing organic produce is so important…
1. Apples
Around 99 percent of apple samples tested positive for at least one pesticide residue, according to the 2013 EWG report. In fact, previous testing from the USDA Pesticide Data Program turned up seven known or possible carcinogens and 19 suspected hormone-disrupting chemicals in apple samples.
3. Grapes
Grapes are notorious for pesticide contamination. In fact, the EWG report found a single grape tested positive for 15 different pesticide
4. Celery
Past USDA Pesticide Data Program evaluations turned up 64 pesticide residues on this crunchy snack and soup stock staple. In the EWG report, a single celery sample tested positive for 13 different pesticides.
5. Peaches
Pit fruits are notoriously hard to grow organically because the high sugar content attracts not just people, but also bug pests. Past USDA tests found 62 different pesticide residues on samples.
6. Spinach
Even these statistics would make Popeye cringe: Past USDA testing has found residues of eight known or probable carcinogens and eight neurotoxins; 23 were considered toxic to honeybees, too.
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
A single bell pepper tested positive for 13 different pesticide residues, according to the recent EWG report. Previous testing shows imidacloprid, a chemical bug killer in the neonicitinoid family, turned up on nearly 80 percent of sweet bell peppers tested. Emerging studies link neonicitinoids insecticides to massive honeybee die-offs.
8. Nectarines
Every single sample of imported nectarines tested positive for pesticides. If you’re aiming to avoid chemicals in fruit, don’t totally rely on U.S.-grown nectarines, either. Domestic nonorganic versions were commonly contaminated, too.
9. Cucumbers
Traditionally, toxic endosulfan, a chemical in the DDT family, has been a go-to pesticide for many commercial cucumber growers. Luckily, the government is phasing out its use for all crops because it’s a potent neurotoxin. Still, cucumbers today have a heavy pesticide load, according to EWG. Choose organic when you can.
10. Potatoes
Potatoes are hammered with chemicals. The average potato has a much higher total weight of pesticides than any other food crop. Nonorganic versions of the starchy staple are generally sprayed multiple times a year in the field then their vines are sprayed with an herbicide just prior to harvesting to make the process easier.
It would be wonderful to think this doesn’t happen in Australia, but farmers need good yields to make money. Experimentation with new chemicals is always happening across Australia, including Tasmania. Unfortunately the testing is on how the crops perform and not on what the chemicals do in the human body once it is ingested. Where ever possible try to eat organic where the levels of chemicalsare reduced considerably. It is not possible to be completely chemical free because all matter is made of chemicals, but to be aware and learn how to dimish the chemical load particularly known carcinogens, neurotoxins, pesticides and herbicides.
