Subject: PANUPS: Analysis of Food Residues
From: [email-masked] (EcoNet Pesticide Issue Desk)
Date: 8 Jun 1994 01:38:40 -0400
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture

From: EcoNet Pesticide Issue Desk <pestdesk>

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  PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK NORTH AMERICA UPDATES SERVICE
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New Analysis of U.S. Food Residues

June 7, 1994

In May 1994, the Environmental Working Group released 
"Washed, Peeled -- Contaminated," a report analyzing new U.S. 
government information on pesticide residues in food.  The 
report finds that washing, peeling and otherwise preparing 
food for consumption does not remove or decrease the number 
of pesticides present in fresh fruits and vegetables.  These 
findings are based on an original analysis of data from the 
Pesticide Data Program of the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).  These data are designed to be 
representative of regional production and population 
distribution in the United States.

The report states that millions of infants and children in 
the U.S. are exposed every day to combinations of pesticides 
in their food that may present serious long-term health 
risks.  These combinations may also cause short-term ill 
effects such as nausea, headache, fever and vomiting in a 
small number of children.  According to data presented in the 
report, this exposure is likely to be greater in the summer 
months when more fresh fruits and vegetables are consumed.  

The authors also point out that fruits and vegetables are 
essential to a healthy diet, and increased consumption will 
improve human health overall.  Unfortunately however, 
increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables also 
raises exposure to scores of hazardous pesticides found in 
those foods.  They further stress that simultaneous exposure 
to the many different pesticides in the food supply presents 
special risks to infants and children, and that current 
government standards do not take into account the relatively 
commonplace multiple exposures that are documented in the 
report.

The report's findings include:
-- More than 80% of peach, apple and celery samples contained 
residues of one or more pesticides.  Apples had up to eight 
residues in a single sample, followed by seven different 
pesticides found in one peach sample, and six residues each 
in samples of grapes and celery.

-- Simultaneous exposures to different pesticides in single 
servings of fruits and vegetables are common even when 
produce is washed, peeled, cored and prepared for normal 
fresh consumption.

For peaches and apples, multiple residues were found in the 
majority of all samples; 58% of peach samples had two or more 
pesticides, as did 52% of apples.  The next three crops with 
the highest percentages of multiple residues were celery, 
grapes and green beans, where 49%, 40% and 32% of samples 
tested had two or more pesticides respectively.

The USDA data confirm that it is not unusual for infants and 
young children to eat single fruits or servings of vegetables 
with residues of up to five or more pesticides on them.  At 
the high end of the multiple-residue profile, 11% of peach 
and apple samples, 9% of celery samples, 7% of grape samples, 
and 5% of green bean samples had four or more pesticides on 
them.  

-- In analyzing the USDA data the authors found 12 different 
carcinogens, 17 different neurotoxins, and 11 different 
pesticides that disrupt the endocrine or reproductive system 
in just 12 fruits and vegetables tested.

The authors recommend that the following actions be taken:
-- Grocers should immediately expand the availability and 
promotion of certified organic food.

-- Retailers should adopt a policy to phase out the sale of 
food containing pesticides that are considered particularly 
hazardous based on current scientific understanding.  To 
accomplish this goal, grocers should require their suppliers 
to eliminate the use of the most hazardous pesticides. And to 
enforce such a program, grocers should require from producers 
full disclosure of all pesticides applied to the crops that 
they purchase, and should conduct independent testing of a 
reasonable percentage of produce to ensure that hazardous 
pesticides are not applied.

-- Congress must overhaul food safety laws to phase out 
highly hazardous pesticides from the food supply and to 
specifically protect infants and children from the pesticides 
that remain.

Source/contact: Environmental Working Group, 1718 Connecticut 
Avenue, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20009; phone (202) 667-
6982; fax (202) 232-2592; email [email-masked].  Copies of 
the report may be ordered for $10 each including postage and 
handling.  Washington DC residents, please add 60 cents per 
copy for sales tax.

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The Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS) is a 
pesticide-related news service posted weekly by the Pesticide 
Action Network North America Regional Center (PANNA). PANNA 
is located at 116 New Montgomery Street, #810, San Francisco, 
CA 94105. Tel: (415) 541-9140. Fax: (415) 541-9253. To 
receive a standard information packet about the Pesticide 
Action Network send a short e-mail message to 
[email-masked].
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