Good For You

By Barbara Burke

Wednesday, February 24, 1999

Pesticide exposure
can be minimized

Pesticide levels in common fruits and vegetables may be unsafe for children, according to a Consumer Reports study released last week.

Government data on 27,000 samples of domestic and imported produce were analyzed. Toxicity scores were computed for 27 foods. Pesticide residue testing was done after samples were prepared as they would be in the home.

The study found that seven popular fruits and vegetables -- apples, grapes, green beans, peaches, pears, spinach, winter squash -- had toxicity scores up to hundreds of times higher than other foods analyzed. Foods with the lowest toxicity were apple juice, bananas, broccoli, canned peaches, orange juice and canned or frozen peas and corn.

Domestic produce generally had more, or more toxic, pesticides than imported produce tested and processed foods had lower residues than fresh.

Virtually all the foods tested for pesticide residues were within legal limits. But many were above the levels the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deems safe for young children.[

While the Consumer Reports analysis has been questioned by some scientists, no one is debating the fact that children face a higher risk from pesticide exposure than do adults. Children eat more fruits and vegetables in proportion to their body weight. Their bodies are also more sensitive to the effects of pesticides.

Until recently, EPA did not consider these factors in risk calculations, but the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 requires EPA to look at the effect of pesticide residue levels on children.

As grim as the Consumer Reports findings may appear, parents should NOT stop serving fruits and vegetables to their children. The health benefits of these foods outweigh the risks from pesticides they may contain.

"Our findings certainly don't mean that parents should stop giving their children plenty of healthful produce," said Dr. Edward Groth, a spokesperson for Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, "but these findings do suggest that parents might want to be careful about the amounts and types of fruits and vegetables they serve their children."

Based on their analysis, Consumers Union will ask the EPA to restrict or ban specific pesticide uses that expose children to residues above safe limits.

Here are ways to minimize the risk from pesticide residues:

Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. This will give you a better mix of nutrients and reduce your likelihood of exposure to a single pesticide.

Buy organically-grown produce. Or grow your own.

Wash and scrub fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.

Discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage. Rinse the interior leaves to remove dirt and debris.

Peel produce, when appropriate. Peeling apples, peaches and pears, in particular, can drastically reduce pesticide exposure from these foods. Peel waxed produce, since waxes can seal in pesticide residues. Peel citrus fruit with a knife; do not bite into the peel.

Avoid giving children large amounts of the foods having the highest toxicity levels.

Food isn't the only source of pesticide exposure to children. According to data collected from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, in 1995 alone, an estimated 79,000 children were involved in common household pesticide-related poisonings or exposures.

A survey by the EPA revealed that almost half of all households with children under age five had at least one pesticide stored in an unlocked cabinet, within the reach of children. Bathrooms and kitchens were most likely to have improperly stored pesticides.

For more information about children and pesticides, visit these Web sites: http://www.consumerreports.org and http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/food.

---

Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor
who has been teaching and writing about food
and nutrition since 1975.

---