In article ,
sherwindu wrote:

As far as fruits are concerned, almost no pesticide penetrates the outer
skin,
so peeling fruits eliminates much of this problem. If the grower does his
job
right, he
does not spray anything a few weeks before harvest. The sun will burn off
almost
all of the pesticide. Simple washing of fruit with even plain water removes
a
good
deal of any latent pesticide. Soap would even be better. There is no
guarantee
that
fruit labled organic has not been sprayed with chemicals. If an orchard is
under a
heavy insect attack, normal organic defenses will not do the job and they
will spary to save their crop.

After all, that is their livelihood and they can't afford to lose all their investment.
Doesn't that sound a lot like the Chinese that shipped the melamine
laced wheat gluten to us?

The best insurance is to either peel or wash all store
bought
fruit.

Sherwin D.

First thing, I have no connection with this web site. Secondly the
following caveat is found at the web site:

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?

There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses
of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people,
especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood
when exposures can have long lasting effects. Because the toxic effects
of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood, or in some cases
completely unstudied, shoppers are wise to minimize exposure to
pesticides whenever possible.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?

Nearly all of the data used to create these lists already considers how
people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are
washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing
fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not
eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients
often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a
varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to
reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
------

Lastly, from my point of view, while the pesticides degrade, what are
the synergistic effects are exerted by their residues on the environment?

Personally, I'll eat it because, for the most part, I have little choice
but I have too many questions to be happy about it.

Billy Rose wrote:

I can't remember if I post this here recently so here goes.

http://www.foodnews.org/

Pesticide load on commercial produce.

The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies

RANK FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE

1 (worst) Peaches 100 (highest
pesticide load)

2 Apples 89

3 Sweet Bell Peppers 86

4 Celery 85

5 Nectarines 84

6 Strawberries 82

7 Cherries 75

8 Pears 65

9 Grapes - Imported 65

10 Spinach 60

11 Lettuce 59

12 Potatoes 58

13 Carrots 57

14 Green Beans 53

15 Hot Peppers 53

16 Cucumbers 52

17 Raspberries 47

18 Plums 45

19 Grapes - Domestic 43

20 Oranges 42

21 Grapefruit 40

22 Tangerine 38

23 Mushrooms 37

24 Cantaloupe 34

25 Honeydew Melon 31

26 Tomatoes 30

27 Sweet Potatoes 30

28 Watermelon 28

29 Winter Squash 27

30 Cauliflower 27

31 Blueberries 24

32 Papaya 21

33 Broccoli 18

34 Cabbage 17

35 Bananas 16

36 Kiwi 14

37 Sweet peas - frozen 11

38 Asparagus 11

39 Mango 9

40 Pineapples 7

41 Sweet Corn - frozen 2

42 Avocado 1

43 (best) Onions 1 (lowest
pesticide load)

Note: We ranked a total of 43 different fruits and vegetables but grapes
are listed twice because we looked at both domestic and imported samples.

- Billy
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)