Washing fruit is not enough to remove pesticide residues, according to a new study published in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters. It turns out that toxic chemicals used in agriculture can penetrate deep into the fruit’s structure and cannot be completely removed by simple rinsing.
Apples are among the most consumed fruits on the planet. PHOTO shutterstock
The work, published in the journal Nano Letters, comes amid debate over the degree of pesticide contamination in food and the potential health risks associated with a steady diet that includes pesticide residues, according to The Guardian.
In May, Consumer Reports determined that 20 percent of 59 different categories of fruits and vegetables had pesticide residues at levels that showed “significant risks” for consumers, based on an analysis of data collected by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The basic finding about the ineffectiveness of washing fruit is important for consumers who believe they can rely on water alone for food safety.
“Traditional fruit cleaning operations cannot completely remove pesticides“, it is stated in the work.
When using technical analysis of an apple, researchers have shown that “the imaging results prove that the pesticides penetrate the peel layer and the pulp layer“.
The authors of the research showed that the degree of pesticide contamination decreased when the apple peel was removed along with part of the pulp layer.
“This study strives to provide useful health advice to consumers,” said Dongdong Ye, a professor at the China School of Materials and Chemistry at Anhui Agricultural University and author of the paper.
“Research shows that peeling can effectively remove almost all of them pesticide residuesin contrast to the frequent practice of washing. This is actually helpful in understanding how these pesticides move,” said Michael Hansen of Consumer Reports.
The health risks posed by pesticides have been documented in several studies. The USDA and Food and Drug Administration say pesticide residues in food are generally not a health concern if they are within legal limits.
Both agencies have tracked pesticide residue levels in food for decades, reporting their findings annually.
In the latest USDA Pesticide Data Program report, the agency said 99 percent of foods tested had residues that were within legal limits and therefore not “they pose a risk to consumers’ health and are safe“. This differs from the findings of Consumer Reports, which believes that the limits used by the government are too high.
More than 72 percent of the more than 10,000 food samples had detectable pesticide residues, the USDA reported.
