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Re: Get rid of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables?



Hi - Jim's email on this led to two additional thoughts - 

(1) There's a book, Diet for a Poisoned Planet, by David Steinman, which
talks about what pesticides are used on what foods, as well as good
background information. He sorts foods into green, yellow, and red
categories, based on this assessment of the expected pesticides level, with
red being the first priority to go organic.  It's an interesting book, for
many reasons, though it is of course just an estimate about what might be
used to grow a particular piece of fruit.  Plus, I don't think he considers
pesticides used after harvest. For instance, I've been told that lemons
have all sorts of toxics in the peel, and thus one should use organic
lemons for peels; but Steinman says lemons don't have many pesticides. From
that I deduce, these pesticides are perhaps used after harvest. As I said
in my prior email, I feel one should prioritize organic for many reasons,
but this book can be useful perhaps in prioritizing re: residues.

(2) Another factor in prioritizing which foods to first buy organic might
be fatty products (milk, cheese, meat,etc.) as many pesticides (though not
all) can bioaccumulate in fat (accumulate and add up to very high doses). 
This is also given as an argument that a good way to reduce pesticide
residues consumed in food is to eat low in the food chain (less meat, more
grains).  

Remember, though, as I said in my other email, we are exposed to pesticides
used in ways other than through our food, and there are other reasons than
residues for eating organic...

Regards -

P. Dines