A healthy diet starts with plenty of fruits and vegetables, but some of your family’s favorites may contain alarming amounts of harmful pesticides. A report from the European Union shows that nearly half of the fruits, vegetables, and cereals produced in member countries are contaminated with pesticides.
Farmers apply synthetic pesticides to crops to kill weeds and insects, and the toxicity doesn’t stop there. As they grow, plants absorb pesticides, and residues remain on the skins of fruits and vegetables until they reach the kitchen, even after washing.
The 2016 edition of the EWG Shopper’s Guide reveals the latest research on pesticide levels in fruits and vegetables. While the complete field of food safety is not yet fully understood, studies confirm that exposure to pesticides can harm us in serious ways. Traditional producers use synthetic pesticides that can damage our brains and nervous systems, disrupt our immune systems, interfere with hormones, and contribute to cancer.
Those who are exposed through their work, such as agricultural workers and others who handle pesticides and herbicides, face the highest risk. For example, leukemia and lymphatic cancers are more common among workers who have applied phenoxy herbicides in agricultural settings for many years. Lung cancer rates are high among pesticide applicators, while liver cancer and leukemia rates are elevated among agricultural workers.
Pesticides, along with dioxins, can act as endocrine disruptors, affecting hormonal action and body functions. This makes them potential risk factors for prostate and breast cancers.
In children’s development, exposure to pesticides contributes to neurological problems, affecting learning, memory, and attention.
Children consume more food than adults relative to their size and are less able to process the chemicals that enter their small bodies. Both factors make them particularly vulnerable to the dangerous effects of these chemicals.
The National Sanitary Veterinary Authority for Food Safety in Romania has reported a list of these treated foods:
1. Strawberries!!!
2. Apples!!
3. Nectarines!
4. Peaches
5. Plums
6. Grapes
7. Cherries
8. Spinach
9. Bell peppers
10. Cucumbers
11. Cherry tomatoes
12. Lettuce
Top of the safest fruits and vegetables:
1. Avocado
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapple
4. Cabbage
5. Peas
6. Onions
7. Asparagus
8. Mango
9. Papaya
10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant
12. Cantaloupe
13. Grapefruit
