Pesticide levels in free fruit for school-kids
I have just looked at the Pesticide Residues Committees Pesticide ‘Residues Monitoring Report’, so you don’t have to, unless you have school age children, in which case maybe you should. Sounds sad I know, but I take my blogging seriously.
Well the report has found that the small sample of fruit tested contained levels of pesticides below the official maximum residue levels, though some fruit contained multiple pesticide residues. That’s good you may think. The official line in the report, is “None of the residues detected would be expected to have an effect on health”. Is it me, or is this slightly worrying? It’s the ‘expected to’ that concerns me. If they are sure that the pesticide residues would not have an effect on health, why not say so?
Near the end of the report it lists the chemicals found in the fruit. I am not a scientist, nor have I carried out any research into the effects of these chemicals on the human body, so I am just voicing my opinion here, but surely a substance designed to kill insects and other small creatures will have some kind of effect on the human body? After all, our body’s cells are much smaller than any insect.
I’m just glad I only have organic products and hopefully will never need to worry about the effects of pesticides on my body.
Ugh _ hideous. Thanks for the info - this is something I have enquired about at school - I have 3 primary school age children who munch copious amounts of fruit at school...but whenever I have tasted the fruit at school I have always found it to be potentially - odd. I try to get local /organic stuff at home. In fact the headmistress commented that what the school receives actually no one else wants - too small for supermarkets.. It's a difficult one ...and most school staff are uninterested in organic / ethical arguments.
Posted by: emma | May 1, 2007 10:37 PM