Pipp
Well-Known Member
I don't think this is actually 'Off Topic', it's ultimately about 'bunny health' (I'm not concerned about my own). . .
Pesticide found on 22% of produce
Tiny amounts are safe to eat: Industry
Environmentalist says impact unknown
Jul.24, 2006. 05:41AM
COLIN PERKEL
CANADIAN PRESS
More than 20 per cent of federally tested fresh fruit and vegetables sold in Canada show traces of pesticide contamination, according to the latest data, but manufacturers of the chemicals say the numbers prove there's no need for consumer concern.
In a new analysis being released today, hotly disputed by environmentalists and some health experts, the industry association CropLife Canada says worrying is unnecessary because, in almost all cases, pesticides found on food are well within the safety limits set by Health Canada.
Just a tiny fraction of foods tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were found to have contamination in violation of the maximum residue limits, with domestic fresh foods faring better than imports.
"People think that their food, unless they buy organic, is laced with pesticides," said Peter MacLeod, executive director of CropLife Canada, which represents pesticide manufacturers and distributors.
"The truth is that they're not."
Federal inspections in 2004-05 turned up chemical residue in just over 22 per cent of both domestic and imported fresh produce, but at levels lower than the maximum residue limits, the analysis concludes.
Only 0.65 per cent of domestic and 1.1 per cent of imported fresh produce exceeded those levels. What's important, said MacLeod, is that even when residues were found, they were detected in minute quantities in the range of parts per million or lower.
While environmentalists and health advocates agree the amounts are tiny, they say it's impossible to be definitive in asserting they pose no health risk, especially when it comes to children. Some experts worry that some chemicals are unsafe at any level, that many safety standards are out of date and that Ottawa doesn't test for all chemicals in use.
A key worry is how the toxic cocktail of pollutants interact.
"We are concerned about the health effects of low levels of many different chemicals in a person's body," said Sarah Winterton of the group Environmental Defence. "We really don't know the health impacts of low-level exposure, particularly within the context of how many different chemicals we are exposed to every day."
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1153692610518&call_pageid=970599119419
Pesticide found on 22% of produce
Tiny amounts are safe to eat: Industry
Environmentalist says impact unknown
Jul.24, 2006. 05:41AM
COLIN PERKEL
CANADIAN PRESS
More than 20 per cent of federally tested fresh fruit and vegetables sold in Canada show traces of pesticide contamination, according to the latest data, but manufacturers of the chemicals say the numbers prove there's no need for consumer concern.
In a new analysis being released today, hotly disputed by environmentalists and some health experts, the industry association CropLife Canada says worrying is unnecessary because, in almost all cases, pesticides found on food are well within the safety limits set by Health Canada.
Just a tiny fraction of foods tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were found to have contamination in violation of the maximum residue limits, with domestic fresh foods faring better than imports.
"People think that their food, unless they buy organic, is laced with pesticides," said Peter MacLeod, executive director of CropLife Canada, which represents pesticide manufacturers and distributors.
"The truth is that they're not."
Federal inspections in 2004-05 turned up chemical residue in just over 22 per cent of both domestic and imported fresh produce, but at levels lower than the maximum residue limits, the analysis concludes.
Only 0.65 per cent of domestic and 1.1 per cent of imported fresh produce exceeded those levels. What's important, said MacLeod, is that even when residues were found, they were detected in minute quantities in the range of parts per million or lower.
While environmentalists and health advocates agree the amounts are tiny, they say it's impossible to be definitive in asserting they pose no health risk, especially when it comes to children. Some experts worry that some chemicals are unsafe at any level, that many safety standards are out of date and that Ottawa doesn't test for all chemicals in use.
A key worry is how the toxic cocktail of pollutants interact.
"We are concerned about the health effects of low levels of many different chemicals in a person's body," said Sarah Winterton of the group Environmental Defence. "We really don't know the health impacts of low-level exposure, particularly within the context of how many different chemicals we are exposed to every day."
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1153692610518&call_pageid=970599119419
