Getty Images
The California University study, result of which were published in the journal Environmental Health, set out to investigate how toxicity levels in certain foods effects children’s health over time.
Head researcher Professor Irva Hertz-Picciotto, said “Contaminants get into our food in a variety of ways. They can be chemicals that have nothing to do with the food or byproducts from processing. We wanted to understand the dietary pathway pesticides, metals and other toxins take to get into the body.”
The small study assessed 364 young children, all under seven years old. Scientists found that pesticide exposure was high in tomatoes, peaches, apples, peppers, grapes, lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, spinach, dairy, pears, green beans and celery. Lead author of the study, Dr Rainbow Vogt, said: “We focused on children because early exposure can have long-term effects on disease outcomes.”
Previous research has only focused on the effects of individual contaminants, however this study aimed to “understand the cumulative risk,” Dr Vogt said, adding that the results highlight a need to prevent exposure to multiple toxins in young children to lower their cancer risk.
The study also outlined how families may lower their exposure to pesticides, such as introducing organic produce to their diet and varying the foods they eat . Prof Hertz-Picciotto, said “Varying our diet and our children’s diet could help reduce exposure. Because different foods are treated differently at the source, dietary variation can help protect us from accumulating too much of any one toxin.”
However, a cancer research expert in the UK, Eleanor Barrie, commented on the study saying, “'It’s really important to remember that the levels of pesticides found in fruit and vegetables are usually very low, and there is no evidence that eating these small amounts of pesticides increases the risk of cancer. “In fact, eating lots of fruit and vegetables actually reduces the risk of some types of cancer, so it’s a good idea to get your five-a-day.”
Certain pesticides can be removed from fruits and vegetables through light washing prior to eating.
10 Comments
I am a fruit farmer in Australia and this hasn't got anything to do with Australian fruit at all. I own 5 farms that grow apples, cherries, pears and stone fruit and I don't spray any pesticides at all. The laws in Australia are tougher than the US and using all the nasty pesticides was banned decades ago. Farmers all over Australia don't spray pesticides because it's cheaper to go organic so to speak and let the spiders eat well.
ReplyIf Rachel Carsons 'Silent Spring' is anything to go by, we could be facing a large health legacy from the use of artificially enhanced oil based fertilisers.
Replyhmmm, are the Californian farmers observing withholding times after application of pesticides ! ...
ReplyI guess the use of fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture is inevitable and as the worlds population increases and along with it, a greater need to produce more food, we'll see a higher incidence of cancer among children and adults!...I think medicine is striving to combat the effects of pollution in the environment created by our need to have modern cars and disposable electronics..Nobody thinks about the chemicals used and disposed of in the creation of these devices!!....And lets not forget the the presence of electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones and towers and of course increased background radiation from past nuclear bomb testing, although you probably get a higher dose of radiation every time you take a flight to some far away destination!...I'll just go and put my fruit and veg on a cold wash cycle in the washing machine before heading off to the beach with my umbrella to save me from the sun's rays. ;o))
ReplyDr. Rainbow.....lol
1 Reply