EAT THE PEACH, NOT THE PESTICIDE
Caption 01: A conventional peach is about four times riskier than an organic one, according to Consumer Reports.
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A recent Consumer Reports survey of 1,050 people found that pesticides are a concern for 85 percent of Americans. Are these worries justified? And should we all be buying organics, which can cost an average 49 percent more than standard produce?
Experts at Consumer Reports, an organization that works to improve the lives of consumers by driving marketplace change, believe that organic is always the best choice because it is better for your health, the environment and the people who grow our food.
Consumer Reports recognizes that organic options may not always be available to all consumers, so it gives you advice on how to find nonorganic produce items with the lowest levels of harmful pesticides.
The risk from pesticides on conventional produce varies, depending on the type of produce and on the country where it’s grown. The differences can be dramatic. For instance, eating one serving of green beans from the United States is 200 times riskier than eating a serving of U.S.-grown broccoli. Consumer Reports groups produce items from different origins into risk categories from very low to very high to help consumers make the best choices for themselves and their families.
Still, Consumer Reports’ No. 1 rule for consumers is to eat more produce. Though CR believes that organic is always the best choice because it promotes sustainable agriculture, getting plenty of fruits and vegetables — even if you can’t obtain organic — takes precedence when it comes to your health.
Consumer Reports’ experts answer the most pressing questions about how pesticides affect health and the environment.
Q. How risky are pesticides?
A. Every year, the Department of Agriculture tests for pesticide residues on a variety of produce. In its latest report, more than half of the samples had residues, with the majority of individual residues coming in below the Environmental Protection Agency tolerance levels. Still, many different types of pesticides can be used on the same crop, and the risk can add up.
There’s data to show that residues on produce have actually declined since 1996, when Congress passed the Food Quality Protection Act. This law requires that the EPA ensure that levels of pesticides on food are safer for children and infants.
Looking at specific produce items, however, progress has been made for some but not others. Grapes and pears, for example, once would have been in the high-risk or very high-risk categories, but now rank low. Others, such as green beans, have been in the higher-risk categories for the past 20 years.
Q. What’s the evidence that pesticides hurt your health?
A. A lot of the data comes from studies of farmworkers, who work with these chemicals regularly. Studies have linked long-term pesticide exposure in this group to increased risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases; prostate, ovarian and other cancers; depression; and respiratory problems. There’s some suggestion that adults and children living in farm communities could also be at risk for chronic health problems.
To a lesser but still concerning degree, the rest of us are also exposed through food, water and air. The fact that individual pesticide residues are generally below EPA tolerance limits is sometimes used as “proof” that the health risks are minimal. But the research used to set these tolerances is limited. And the combined effects from exposure to pesticides and their residues are not well known.
Q. Who is pesticide exposure most risky for?
A. Aside from farmworkers, it’s children and pregnant women. Children are smaller and, therefore, are exposed to more, pound for pound. Children also have developing nervous and immune systems. A child’s metabolism can also differ from an adult’s. The risk to adults is lower, but still worrisome.
Q. Should I skip conventionally grown produce?
A. No. The risks of pesticides are real, but the myriad health benefits of fruits and vegetables are, too. A 2012 study estimated that increasing fruit and vegetable consumption could prevent 20,000 cancer cases annually. Another study found that people who ate produce at least three times per day had a lower risk of stroke, hypertension and death from cardiovascular disease. When it comes to pesticide residues, if you can’t afford organic, there are often low-risk conventional options.