Popular produce from blueberries to potatoes poses a “very high risk” of harmful pesticides linked to cancer and diabetes, a new report reveals.
Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organization, analyzed seven years of data from the Department of Agriculture to identify the fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides that pose the “most unacceptable health risks.”
They found that pesticides posed a “significant risk” to a surprising 20 percent of the 59 common fruits and vegetables they studied.
Blueberries, potatoes and bell peppers were considered very high risk, while green beans, kale and watermelon were high risk, meaning pregnant women and children should limit their consumption.
In the green beans studied, the researchers surprisingly found “residues of a pesticide that has not been allowed for use in the US for more than a decade.”
Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organization, analyzed seven years of data from the Department of Agriculture
They found that pesticides posed a “significant risk” to a shocking 20 percent of the 59 common fruits and vegetables they studied.
Blueberries, potatoes and bell peppers were considered very high risk.
Pesticides are sprayed on crops to control insects and weeds, but they contaminate produce and can pose a risk of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The analysis was based on 30,000 samples of 59 types of fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned and organic, collected from supermarkets by the USDA.
The foods were then rated based on their levels of pesticides, the corresponding health risks they posed, and broken down by U.S.-grown and imported.
Apples, grapes, peaches, tomatoes, spinach and celery were considered moderate risk, while green beans, kale and watermelon were considered high risk and blueberries, potatoes and bell peppers were considered high risk. They were considered very high risk.
James E. Rogers of Consumer Reports said, “Consumers are being exposed to much higher levels of very dangerous pesticides than they should be.”
Organic produce generally had much less pesticide residue than non-organic produce, but some still posed a high risk, including green beans.
Imported foods posed a greater risk than homegrown foods.
Foods grown in Mexico pose especially high risks and some, including strawberries, contain high concentrations of oxidameton-methyl, which is a neurotoxin that can disrupt the development of children.
Pesticides are sprayed on fruits and vegetables during the growing process to keep insects and weeds away, but some pesticides are harmful.
The risks posed by pesticides increase over time. Eating contaminated food once is unlikely to cause harm, but eating it repeatedly increases the risk.
Pesticides are sprayed on fruits and vegetables during the growing process to keep insects and weeds away, but some pesticides are harmful.
Organic produce generally had much less pesticide residue than non-organic produce, but some still posed a high risk, including green beans.
Children and pregnant women are especially at risk because some pesticides are endocrine disruptors that interfere with the reproductive system and the development of key body systems.
Not all products are risky: 16 of the 25 fruits and 21 of the 34 vegetables tested showed low levels of pesticide risk, meaning children and pregnant women can safely consume more than three servings a day of those. food.
According to the nonprofit’s analysis, “the greatest risks are caused by just a few pesticides, concentrated in a handful of foods, grown on a small fraction of U.S. farmland.”
They advise that everyone “avoid” the consumption of high- and very high-risk agricultural products and choose alternatives, it says: “Everyone else should limit consumption of those foods.”
Dr. Michael Hansen, chief scientist at Consumer Reports, said, “We take a precautionary approach to make sure we don’t underestimate the risks.”