Tropical Fruits have the Least Pesticide Residue
What They are and Why You Should Eat Them More Often
Mar 30, 2009
In late 2006, the Environmental Working Group released a report on the average pesticide content of some common fruits and vegetables. The data was based on tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Their key findings are as follows:
Avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwifruits, bananas, and papayas contain the lowest levels of pesticide residue.
Peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, and imported grapes (not grown in Canada or the U.S. ) have the highest amounts of pesticide residue.
While the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) - the government branch that regulates and monitors pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables - maintain that the level of maximum residue limits (MRLs) are below the set limits, some health authorities remain concerned about the cumulative long term effects of pesticide load on human beings. Toxicity experiments done on healthy animals measure and account only acute effects. Moreover, the established acceptable levels are based for the average adult male only, and do not take into account the different situations of women and children.
What are Pesticides?
Pesticides are chemicals that kill pests. They are referred to by the type of pests they control. For example, fungicides control fungi, blight, mildew, moulds, and rust; insecticides kill insects and arthropods; nematicides kill nematodes - worm like organisms that feed on plant roots, etc..
Some of the most common pesticides used commercially are organophosphates and carbamates. They affect the nervous system and disrupt the enzymes that regulate acetylcholine - a neurotransmitter. Other pesticides include organochloric insecticides, such as DDT and Chlordane, but many have been removed from use because of their health and environmental effects. Pyrethrin - derived from chrysanthemum is less popular with growers because of instability. Synthetic pyrethroids are neurotoxic.
Health Effects of Pesticides
Acute pesticide poisoning is characterized by skin, eye, throat, and respiratory irritation, nausea, spasm, and even death. Repeated exposure to pesticides has been linked to neurological problems, cancers (brain, lung, colorectal, pancreatic, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, prostate, stomach, ovary, kidney, and testicular cancers ); reproductive disorders such as low sperm count and sterility, and endocrine disruptions.
Reducing Your Pesticide Exposure
- Wash and scrub all fruits thoroughly under running water. It will help remove bacteria and traces of chemicals from the surface as well as dirt/soil hidden in crevices.
- Peel fruits when possible to remove dirt, bacteria, and pesticides.
- Buy organically grown produce. Organically grown fruits carry 9 digits on their labels. Conventionally grown produce (fruits and vegetables cultivated using chemical compounds including fertilizers and pesticides) carry 4 digits on their labels, while genetically modified foodcrops carry 8 digits on their labels.
- Grow your own fruits. Strawberries are among the most popular yet easiest fruiting plants to cultivate. If you don't have the land, try growing them in containers. They fruit the following year.
- Eat more tropical fruits. Avocados are the safest fruits to eat having the lowest pesticide load (1ppm) followed by pineapples (7ppm); mangoes (9 ppm); kiwifruit (14 ppm); bananas (16 ppm) and papayas (21 ppm).
References
Learn, Scott "Peaches, Apples Have Highest Pesticide Load in Group Rankings" Environmental Working Group Report, October 2, 2008
"Pesticides: Health and Safety" U.S. Environmental Protection Agency August 27, 2008
Sanborn Margaret et al. "Pesticide Literature Review" Ontario College of Family Physicians, April 23, 2004
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