"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...

Soil Association are carrying out detailed research into pesticides
commonly encountered in non-organic fruit and vegetables. Their
findings
will be published in a colour booklet entitled 'What's your poison?'
to
be distributed widely.

S.A. quote the example of Aldicarb, a pesticide used on potatoes.
Aldicarb acts as a nerve poison and is classified by the World
Health
Organisation as 'extremely hazardous'. A UK Govt. survey in 2003
found
that five percent of potato samples had detectable levels of
Aldicarb
residues up to and in one case exceeding legal limits. This suggests
that last year 500,000 may have eaten potatoes containing residues
of
Aldicarb that exceeded safety limits.

The UK Government's Food Standards Agency [FSA] are seeking ways to
minimise pesticide residues in food, but Govt. pesticide safety
advisors
are playing down the dangers. Soil Association wish to press for
more
positive Govt. action by means of their research and publicity.

That is a laudable exercise on the part of the Soil Asssociation.
I support all efforts to make sure that the unwanted contaminants in
foodstuffs are kept within bounds.

Franz

Soil Association: www.soilassociation.org
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.