Pesticide residue on food goes far beyond washing fruits and vegetables before eating. A new study published in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters, confirmed that washing fruit before eating does not remove commonly used pesticides in agriculture.
The study aimed to “share the technical details of a process the authors developed for enhanced trace detection of pesticides in foods,” The Guardian reported, to provide more information about the ongoing debate “over the extent of pesticide contamination of food” and the potential health risks from pesticide residue.
“This study, situated within the expansive realm of food safety, endeavors to furnish health guidance to consumers,” Dongdong Ye, a professor with China’s School of Materials and Chemistry at Anhui Agricultural University and an author of the paper, said. “Rather than fostering undue apprehension, the research posits that peeling can effectively eliminate nearly all pesticide residues, contrasted with the frequently recommended practice of washing.”
While it was determined by Consumer Reports that 20 percent of 59 different fruit and vegetable categories showed pesticide residues at levels that were considered “significant risks” to consumers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the study confirmed “fruit-cleaning operations cannot wholly remove pesticides.”
The technical detail used in the study from the technology they developed examined an apple and the researchers said the “imaging results prove that the pesticides penetrate the peel layer into the pulp layer.”
“This is actually useful for understanding how these pesticides move in,” Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumer Reports, said. “This is more science showing that, yes, there are concerns. Don’t just think that washing is going to help you.”
Hansen said the new technique might be “helpful to academics and government scientists in better understanding pesticide persistence in foods and how to better protect consumers,” The Guardian reported.
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