Protecting our produce supply from unsafe pesticide residue is the shared responsibility of the EPA, FDA, and produce growers. When the EPA sets residue tolerances, it builds in a safety factor of at least 100-fold. The agency takes into account the special diets of 22 sensitive groups, including infants and children. The EPA has denied tolerances for some pesticides because it was concerned about the adverse effects on children. Growers follow stringent guidelines and regulations for safe pesticide application. Pesticides are expensive; it’s not in the grower’s economic interest to over apply them or use them unnecessarily.
Recent USDA data show that 99% of fresh produce in the store has no pesticide residues or the residues are below the established tolerances. The same study showed that some fruits and vegetable have residues of more then one pesticide. These levels are so infinitesimal that reputable health authorities have concluded that they are beneath any threshold of harm. Imported produce must meet U.S. standards.
Only one in 20,000 chemicals makes it from the laboratory to the farm. Chemicals must pass more than 120 tests to ensure that, used properly, they pose no health or environmental concerns. Pesticide development, testing, and approval takes eight to ten years and costs manufacturers $35 million to $50 million for each product.
According to the American Cancer Society, there has been a 22% increase in the rate of cancer in the last half century. If lung cancer is excluded, cancer rates have actually decreased by 14% since 1950. The cancer typically associated with dietary risks are stomach and colon/rectal, both of which have declined since 1950. A 1992 study by the ACS found that people who ate most fruits and vegetables had a 30% lower risk of dying of colon/rectal cancer than those that ate the least.
Health authorities encourage Americans to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetable daily for better health. These experts have taken pesticide residues into account when making these recommendation. The National Academy of Sciences states that “no adverse effects result from the ingestion of small amounts (of pesticide residues) in foods.”
Testing reveals that most pesticide residues on produce are minute and safe. In the last 40 years, more sophisticated equipment has allowed scientists to find residue levels as small as parts per trillion. To put this in perspective. One part per trillion is like one second in 320 centuries.
Consumers should wash fruits and vegetables with clean water and can scrub hardier items, such as potatoes, with a brush. Many pesticides are water-soluble and can be washed off. This also removes any dirt and bacteria. Although minuscule amounts of pesticides residues may remain, credible scientific evidence indicates that they represent no risk. Consumers should never wash fruits and vegetable with detergent. Detergent is not labeled by the FDA for use on foods. Consumers would ingest any detergent residue left on the product.
(Courtesy PMA Freshline,
Produce Marketing Association)
Reprint permission given by AgAir Update, P.O. Box 850, Perry, GA 31069 - an international agricultural aviation publication.
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