In uk.rec.gardening Jim Webster wrote:
: "Tim Tyler" wrote in message ...
: In uk.rec.gardening Oz wrote:
: : Tim Tyler writes
: :In uk.rec.gardening Oz wrote:
: :: Tim Tyler writes

: ::By contrast - for many pesticides - the compensation accrues to the
: ::those in the supply chain - who can generate more produce - and the
: ::health cost is borne by consumers.
: :
: :: 1) There is no direct health cost, due to the approvals testing.

: Perhaps you would like to explain how the fact that people commiting suicide
: in the third world use pesticides because they are cheap makes these
: products dangerous to people eating vegetables in the UK?

That's not my claim - rather I'm being critical of the notion that
pesticides have "no direct health cost".

The pesticide situation in the UK needs improving. Banned chemicals
are still being found sprayed on produce. Regulations are no good if
they are unenforced.

A report on a recent government survey of UK pesticide usage:

``
TOXIC COCKTAIL IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
June 19, 20002 FOE

Friends of the Earth¹s analysis of the latest Government
survey of pesticide residue results reveal that a cocktail
of pesticides above legal and safety limits has been found
in a range of fruit and vegetables. The results were
published today by the Pesticides Residues Committee (PRC)
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk

Some of the key findings of the report a

* UK grown non-organic strawberries contained dicofol at
illegal levels. Dicofol is not approved for use on
strawberries in the UK. Dicofol is similar to DDT and is a
suspected hormone disrupter. The 3 organic strawberry
samples were free of residues.

* Organophosphate (OP) pesticides were found above legal
limits in, grapes, starfruit, nectarines and peaches. In
peaches and nectarines the OP methamidophos exceeded safety
levels for adults and toddlers, the PRC admitted that
³safety levels have been significantly eroded².

* All 'soft citrus' fruit contained residues including
imazalil at levels which the PRC described as "an
unacceptable risk for all consumer groups" but went on to
say that most of the residue was assumed to be in the peel.

* Potatoes were found to contain aldicarb above safety
levels. Aldicarb is a carbamate insecticide which works on
the nervous system, it is highly toxic and is classified by
the World Health Organisation as Œextremely hazardous¹.

* Iprodione, a suspected hormone disrupter, was found above
legal limits in UK celery although it is not approved for
use on celery here.

* Most grapefruits (83%) and lemons (93%) tested contained
pesticide residues.

* Lindane was found in mushrooms. This pesticide is now
banned in the EU and there are fear that exposure to this
pesticide may be linked to breast cancer.

* One sample of tomatoes from Spain contained residues of 6
different pesticides, none of the 5 organic samples of
tomatoes contained residues. * 97% of the fresh salmon
samples contained residues. DDT was found in fresh and
canned salmon (due to contamination of food or the
environment).

Pesticides were also found in bread but milk was found to be
free of residues.

The Pesticides Residues Committee states that none of the
samples present safety concerns for consumers but only looks
at exposure levels in individual foods, not the overall
cocktail of pesticides that people are being exposed to.
Recently Dr Brown, the chair of the Committee admitted that
there was "cause for concern" about the threat to young
children being exposed to pesticide residues in food. He
said was he "particularly worried" about the potential risks
where food was contaminated by several similar chemicals,
such as different forms of heavily restricted
organophosphate pesticide, which could combine to create a
"cocktail effect" (Independent on Sunday 9/6/02)

In recognition of the additional vulnerability of babies and
young children to pesticide residues new regulations will be
introduced on 1st July this year which effectively prohibits
residues in baby food by setting the allowable level at the
limit of detection. But no such protection is extended to
toddlers eating fresh fruit and vegetables.

Although more of the pesticides exceeding legal limits were
found in imported produce, nine UK samples contained illegal
levels of residues (above the Maximum Residue Level) and
nine other UK samples were found to contain pesticides which
are not approved for use in the UK. The Government has a
policy to minimise pesticide use. These results suggest it
is not doing enough to implement it.

It¹s very disappointing to see that high levels of
pesticides were found in UK foods as well as imports and
that illegal use of pesticides continues to be a problem. We
want the Government to take more action to crack down on
dodgy chemicals in imported food but it must also do more to
help farmers in the UK to get off the chemical treadmill².
''

- http://www.organicconsumers.org/Toxic/UKFruits602.cfm
--
__________
|im |yler http://timtyler.org/