FOOD CONTAMINATION
Articles on Food Contamination
Refer also to the page on Genetically Altered Food
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The 12 Most Contaminated and
the 12 Least Contaminated Foods
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From the Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/
http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden/es.php
In a study led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine
in New York, in collaboration with the Environmental Working Group and
Commonweal,
researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 91 industrial
compounds, pollutants, and other chemicals in the blood and urine of nine
volunteers, with a total of 167 chemicals found in the group.
Like most of us, the people tested do not work with chemicals on the job
and do not live
near an industrial facility.
Scientists refer to this contamination as a person's
body burden. Of the 167 chemicals found, 76 cause cancer in humans or animals,
94 are toxic to
the brain and nervous system, and 79 cause birth defects or abnormal
development. The dangers of exposure to these chemicals in combination
has
never been studied.
Report Card: Pesticides in Produce
http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php
Adjusting your eating habits can lower your intake
of pesticides -- sometimes dramatically so. Substitute organic for conventional
produce that
is consistently contaminated with pesticides. When organic is not available,
eat fruits and vegetables with consistently low pesticide loads.
<http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php>34a6e23.jpg
An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating
high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide
exposure by 90 percent by
avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and
eating the least contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated
fruits and
vegetables will expose a person to nearly 20 pesticides per day, on
average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to a fraction
over 2 pesticides per day. Less dramatic comparisons will produce less
dramatic reductions, but without doubt using the Guide provides people
with a way to make choices that lower pesticide exposure in the diet.
http://www.foodnews.org/pdf/walletguide.pdf
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR20N01&>Apples
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR24F07&>Bell
Peppers
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR24T11&>Celery
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR21G03&>Cherries
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR20A09&>Imported
Grapes
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR21G07&>Nectarines
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR21G13&>Peaches
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR20N03&>Pears
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR25J06&>Potatoes
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=20A13&>Red Raspberries
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR24T25&>Spinach
• <http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR20A14&>Strawberries
Most Contaminated: The Dirty Dozen
Consistent with two previous EWG investigations, fruits topped the list
of the consistently most contaminated fruits and vegetables, with eight
of the
12 most contaminated foods. Among the top six were four fruits, with
peaches leading the list, then strawberries, apples and nectarines. Pears,
cherries, red raspberries, and imported grapes were the other four
fruits in the top 12. Among these eight fruits:
* Nectarines had the highest percentage of samples
test positive for pesticides (97.3 percent), followed by pears (94.4 percent)
and peaches
(93.7 percent).
* Nectarines also had the highest likelihood of
multiple pesticides on a single sample 85.3 percent had two or more
pesticide residues
followed by peaches (79.9 percent) and cherries (75.8 percent).
* Peaches and raspberries had the most pesticides detected
on a single sample with nine pesticides on a single sample, followed by
strawberries
and apples, where eight pesticides were found on a single sample.
* Peaches had the most pesticides overall with some combination
of up to 45 pesticides found on the samples tested, followed by raspberries
with
39 pesticides and apples and strawberries, both with 36.
Spinach, celery, potatoes, and sweet bell peppers are the vegetables
most likely to expose consumers to pesticides. Among these four vegetables:
* Celery had the highest of percentage of samples
test positive for pesticides (94.5 percent), followed by spinach (83.4
percent) and potatoes
(79.3 percent).
* Celery also had the highest likelihood of multiple
pesticides on a single vegetable (78 percent of samples), followed by spinach
(51.8
percent) and sweet bell peppers (48.5 percent).
* Spinach was the vegetable with the most pesticides
detected on a single sample (10 found on one sample), followed by celery
and sweet bell
peppers (both with nine).
* Sweet bell peppers were the vegetable with the
most pesticides overall with 39, followed by spinach at 36 and celery and
potatoes, both
with 29.
Least Contaminated:
Consistently Clean
The vegetables least likely to have pesticides on them are sweet corn,
avocado, cauliflower, asparagus, onions, peas and broccoli.
* Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of the pea
and broccoli samples had no detectable pesticides. Among the other vegetables
on the least-contaminated list, there were no detectable residues on 90
percent or more of the samples.
* Multiple pesticide residues are extremely rare
on any of these least contaminated vegetables. Broccoli had the highest
likelihood, with a 2.6 percent chance of more than one pesticide when ready
to eat. Avocado and corn both had the lowest chance with zero samples containing
more than one pesticide when eaten.
* The greatest number of pesticides detected on
a single sample of any of these low-pesticide vegetables was three as compared
to 10 found on spinach, the most contaminated crop with the most residues.
* Broccoli and onions both had the most pesticides
found on a single vegetable crop at up to 17 pesticides but far fewer than
the most contaminated vegetable, sweet bell peppers, on which 39 were found.
The five fruits least likely to have pesticide residues on them are
pineapples, mangoes, bananas, kiwi and papaya.
* Fewer than 10 percent of pineapple and mango samples
had detectable pesticides on them and fewer than one percent of samples
had more than one
pesticide residue.
* Though 53 percent of bananas had detectable pesticides,
multiple residues are rare with only 4.7 percent of samples containing
more than one
residue. Kiwi and papaya had residues on 23.6 percent and 21.7 percent
of samples, respectively, and just 10.4 percent and 5.6 percent of samples,
respectively, had multiple pesticide residues.
12 Least Contaminated
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (sweet)
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Peas (sweet)
Should I stop eating certain foods?
We recommend that you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables because they're
essential to a healthy diet. But you can and should cut back on pesticides--just
as you might cut back on fat, calories or cholesterol. Right now,
buying organic food is the best option to reduce your intake of pesticides
if (like us) you're skeptical about government and chemical company claims
that pesticides are "safe." If you want to eat conventionally produced
fruits and vegetables that usually have fewer
pesticides, you can change your eating habits to do so.
What about washing?
Washing will not change the rank of the fruits and vegetables in the
Guide. That's because nearly all of the data used to create these lists
comes from
the USDA Pesticide Data Program (PDP) where the foods are washed and
prepared for normal consumption prior to testing for pesticides (apples
are
washed and cored, bananas are peeled, etc.).
While washing fresh produce may help reduce pesticide residues, it clearly does not eliminate them. Nonetheless, produce should be washed before it is eaten because washing does reduce levels of some pesticides. However, other pesticides are taken up internally into the plant, are in the fruit, and cannot be washed off. Others are formulated to bind to the surface of the crop and do not easily wash off. Peeling reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel.
The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose
organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
Additional Pages:
http://www.foodnews.org/release_20031021.php>News
Release: October 21, 2003
http://www.ewg.org/news/eclips.php?reportid=147>Related
News Clips
http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php>Report
Card: Pesticides in Produce
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php>Wallet
Guide to Pesticides in Produce
http://www.foodnews.org/fullresults.php>Complete
Listing of Test Results
http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php>Methodology:
How We Measured Contamination
http://www.foodnews.org/reduce.php>Why
Reducing Pesticide Exposure Is Smart
http://www.foodnews.org/cookbook.php>Fresh
Choices cookbook