We have discussed the dirty dozen here before – those foods which a group called The Environmental Working Group (wow—fancy name – everything they say must be true!) has established contain more residues of different pesticides than other foods. I’ve already stated my concerns about selecting organic foods instead of conventionally grown ones because of a fear of pesticides so I won’t restate that here. Instead what I want to call your attention to an article sent to me by our visiting professor, Charlie Rowher. This article runs down the amounts of pesticides that are actually in the dirty dozen. And the thing is….there just isn’t much pesticide of any sort on most foods and there is no evidence at all that eating these levels of pesticides would be bad for us in any way – even if we ate them in copious amounts day after day.
To be honest I think the authors of this article go a little too far – I do think that there is some potential for damage even from the ultra-small pesticide doses that we find on our foods. But their points are well taken – the amount of pesticides in food is miniscule and less likely to be damaging to us than a great host of other things. I’m much more concerned about certain segments of our population suffering malnutrition from avoiding conventionally grown fruits and veggies than I am about the larger portion of our population getting cancer from eating them.
Does the term pesticide in this context include fungicides?
Hi Michelle — Yes — The word pesticide includes insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, etc. But what they found were primarily insecticides and fungicides.
Consider that you are constantly bombarded by different -cides made naturally by virtually all plants.
Consider that you are constantly bombarded by other known toxins, just by breathing.
If we are to believe that even ultra-low doses are harmful, then your fate is sealed.
Jeff, is any information ever available about the surfactants? I’ve heard repeatedly that Round-Up offers a very safe pesticide but that its surfactant is the more concerning toxin in the mixture.
I manage over 100 estate orchards in southeastern NY and a few of my customers drive me batty about what seem to me very overblown fears about pesticide residue on the fruit from their own orchards. Googling around I found 2 different studies, one by the Canadian gov a
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nd one a collaboration of 2 U.S. states comparing the health of farmers to the general population. Now realize that many of these farmers pull mist blowers behind open tractors spewing out pesticides for many days of the growing season. They also have high exposure to solvents that are known carcinogens. Basically they often practically bathe in the stuff that many people are worried about contacting in miniscule quantities. In spite of this huge exposure to pesticides, in the U.S. study the 20,000 farmers followed for 7 years had 30% fewer incidents of cancer than the U.S. population as a whole compared in the same time frame. They were healthier and had significantly better mortality rates (lived longer) as well. Can’t give all the credit to the pesticides, of course, gotta figure other aspects of the farm lifestyle, like exercise and diet might also have a bit to do with it- but still… The Canadian study simply concluded that no significant overall health problems could be attached to the pesticide exposure involved in farming.
Shawn, I would say that is accurate — the surfactant is probably more dangerous than the active ingredient in Round-up. But because companies aren’t required to tell us anything about their “inert” ingredients I can’t say much more than that.
Friends o
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f the Earth (FoE) say nearly half the fruit and vegetables sold in UK supermarkets since 1998 contained pesticide residues.
The pressure group says the news will surprise many customers in view of supermarkets’ claims that they minimise pesticide use.
Most residues were within legal limits, but FoE fears individual chemicals could be dangerous in combination.
And it says the unborn, infants and children may be at particular risk.
I consider myself an “organic-centric” gardener. By that I mean, I organic garden as much as possible which means that sometimes it just isn’t possible to adhere to strict organic guidelines AND harvest a crop. Case in point– summer and winter squash. I love squash but without some type of insecticide, these crops would not survive the trifecta of pests (cuke beetle, squash bugs, and vine borers) that besiege them each year. You can rotate the plants to the moon, and I have no doubt the critters will find them there as well. Organic labeled insecticides have little lasting effect on these creatures because of their very short residuals. Pyganic gives great knockdown, but it lasts for only a few hours. You end up spraying much more frequently and risking plant phytotoxicity. So, I use a non-organic insecticide that lasts longer and requires much less spraying. I spray my plants in the dead of night to spare pollinators (something you need to do with the organic pesticides,too), use row covers early on and voila, I have squash and bees!
On the other hand, BT works perfectly against the cabbage moth, so why use something more toxic? A little common sense goes a long way.
Friends of the Earth (FoE) say nearly half the fruit and vegetables sold in UK supermarkets since 1998 contained pesticide residues. The pressure group says the news will surprise many customers in view of supermarkets’ claims that they minimise pesticide use. Most residues were within legal limits, but FoE fears individual chemicals could be dangerous in combination. And it says the unborn, infants and children may be at particular risk.
Would you answer this——————————————————————————–
Hi Richard, sure I’ll answer. The amount of foods with some pesticide residue is unsurprising. Even organic produce may have pesticide residue (about 1/4 of organic foods have measurable residue from synthetic pesticides – the amount of organic pesticides on these foods is not known but is probably quite high. Relatively high levels of spinosad have been found on organic produce for example). Is it possible that these pesticides in combination could have negative impacts on people? Sure. Is it likely? No. The next question, of course, is why not? Our bodies successfully deal with a number of different naturally occurring pesticides every day. We are constantly assailed with all kinds of poisons — many of which are chemically similar to synthetic poisons — and we deal with it. I don’t want to say it’s impossible that these compounds could have a negative effect — I just see the possibility of an effect as low — others will disagree.
thankyou jeff for your response things a little clearer now
As someone with an odd combination of eco-freak plus tinfoil hat wearing tendencies, I try to shop at the farmer’s market and support CSAs. I can talk to the farmer about what kind of practices they use (in a non-judgemental way! not everyone wants what I want.) And more importantly, support other things I care about like not fueling the oil industry and not supporting the evil empire that is whoever is currently trying to get through the tinfoil. And ultimately, I try to buy things that benefit the environment, not me. Whatever damage a conventional tomato from Pennsylvania does to me, it’s got to be better than producing it in Chile and bringing it to DC. And I’ve talked to the farmer, so I know what I’m getting into. Plus, if I don’t trust our government’s regulations/enforcement on pesticide use, how can I trust another country!!
totally agree woo this imported stuff has to be genitically modified to give it is shelf life i will stick to the veg i grow in pots on my patio least i know what i am getting
I realize that this discussion is centered on food safety, but when considering whether pesticides are “safe” it’s important to keep in mind negative effects on other species (e.g., pollinators, aquatic organisms). These impacts are often pronounced. There are also many pesticides that persist in the environment and cumulatively contribute to surface and groundwater contamination. Not all pesticides are created equal; most are safe, but a handful live up to their toxic reputation.