'DIRTY DOZEN' PRODUCE CARRIES MORE PESTICIDE RESIDUE, GROUP SAYS

By Danielle Dellorto, Senior Medical Producer
June 1, 2010 -- Updated 0531 GMT (1331 HKT)
(CNN) -- If you're eating non-organic celery today, you may be ingesting 67 pesticides with it, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group.
The group, a nonprofit focused on public health, scoured nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine what fruits and vegetables we eat have the highest, and lowest, amounts of chemical residue.
Most alarming are the fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Dirty Dozen," which contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving. These foods are believed to be most susceptible because they have soft skin that tends to absorb more pesticides.
"It's critical people know what they are consuming," the Environmental Working Group's Amy Rosenthal said. "The list is based on pesticide tests conducted after the produce was washed with USDA high-power pressure water system. The numbers reflect the closest thing to what consumers are buying at the store."
Special report: Toxic America
The group suggests limiting consumption of pesticides by purchasing organic for the 12 fruits and vegetables.
"You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by up to 80 percent by buying the organic version of the Dirty Dozen," Rosenthal said.
The Dirty Dozen
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Spinach, kale and collard greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported grapes
Lettuce
Not all non-organic fruits and vegetables have a high pesticide level. Some produce has a strong outer layer that provides a defense against pesticide contamination. The group found a number of non-organic fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Clean 15" that contained little to no pesticides.
The Clean 15
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions
What is a pesticide?
A pesticide is a mixture of chemical substances used on farms to destroy or prevent pests, diseases and weeds from affecting crops. According to the USDA, 45 percent of the world's crops are lost to damage or spoilage, so many farmers count on pesticides.
The Environmental Protection Agency, the FDA and the USDA work together to monitor and set limits as to how much pesticide can be used on farms and how much is safe to remain on the produce once it hits grocery store shelves.
"In setting the tolerance amount, the EPA must make a safety finding that the pesticide can be used with 'reasonable certainty of no harm.' The EPA ensures that the tolerance selected will be safe," according the EPA's website.
Although the President's Cancer Panel recently recommended that consumers eat produce without pesticides to reduce their risk of getting cancer and other diseases, the low levels of pesticides found on even the Dirty Dozen are government-approved amounts.
Can small amounts of pesticides hurt you?
The government says that consuming pesticides in low amounts doesn't harm you, but some studies show an association between pesticides and health problems such as cancer, attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and nervous system disorders and say exposure could weaken immune systems.
The Environmental Working Group acknowledges that data from long-term studies aren't available but warns consumers of the potential dangers.
"Pesticides are designed to kill things. Why wait for 20 years to discover they are bad for us?" Rosenthal said.
Some doctors warn that children's growing brains are the most vulnerable to pesticides in food.
"A kid's brain goes through extraordinary development, and if pesticides get into the brain, it can cause damage," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Can pesticides be washed away?
Not necessarily. The pesticide tests mentioned above were conducted after the food had been power-washed by the USDA. Also, although some pesticides are found on the surface of foods, other pesticides may be taken up through the roots and into the plant and cannot be removed.
"We've found that washing doesn't do much," Rosenthal said. "Peeling can help, although you have to take into account that the pesticides are in the water, so they can be inside the fruit because of the soil."
All fresh produce, whether it's grown with or without pesticides, should be washed with water to remove dirt and potentially harmful bacteria. And health experts agree that when it comes to the Dirty Dozen list, choose organic if it's available.
"To the extent you can afford to do so, [parents] should simply buy organic, because there have been some very good studies that shows people who eat mostly organic food reduce 95 percent of pesticides [in their body] in two weeks," Landrigan said.

JEFF SMITH -- THE EFFECTS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

The Amish are much healthier than the rest of America

NaturalNews.com printable article

Originally published January 13 2010

by Ethan Huff, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
Email this author


(NaturalNews) They're known for using horse-drawn buggies, avoiding modern conveniences, and wearing old-fashioned clothing. But do the Amish possess something that the rest of us don't, primarily a lifestyle that prevents disease and leads to a better quality of life? According to a recent study published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control, that seems to be the case; cancer rates among the Amish are far lower than in the rest of the American population and they are far healthier than most Americans.

Researchers from Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute originally began studying the Ohio Amish population with the hypothesis that cancer rates would be higher among the Amish because they are closed off from society and they often intermarry. On the contrary, it was discovered that not only are their cancer rates lower but the Amish live a lifestyle that promotes health and well-being.

The study found that the cancer rate among the Amish is only 60 percent of the Ohio population at large. Most Amish people do not smoke or drink and they are typically not sexually promiscuous, leading researchers to believe that these lifestyle factors play an important role in the limited number of cancer cases.

Other factors examined include the high amount of physical labor undertaken by the Amish. Most Amish people work in farming, construction, and other production jobs that require intense physical activity that keeps them healthy and in shape. While the rest of America sits in fluorescent-lit cubicles all day, the Amish work hard to produce crops, build furniture and structures, and produce useful goods, which researchers recognize contributes to their excellent health.

Another important factor not specifically examined in the study is the fact that the Amish grow and raise all their own food. They employ time-tested, organic methods that provide them with healthy fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, and other untainted foods that most Americans never get. Rich in living enzymes, vitamins, and nutrients Amish food is grown and raised the way it should be, resulting in improved health.

While some may ridicule their secluded lifestyle, the Amish commitment to simple, productive lives and clean, local food is benefiting their health in ways that the rest of America can only dream about. When compared to a life of sitting in office buildings all day, eating processed and genetically-modified junk food, and popping prescription medications, it becomes clear which lifestyle is truly deserving of contempt.

Europe rejects GE corn but Australia has 'no concerns

Written by Kelly Bourke

Thursday, 12 November 2009 21:07

A genetically engineered corn authorised by the Australian food regulator as safe for human consumption has been withdrawn from Europe because of safety concerns. Monsanto has pulled its commercial development application for high lysine LY038 corn, originally intended only as feed for animals, after the European Food Safety Authority questioned the safety studies already conducted by the company and used by Food Standards Australia New Zealand to approve the GE corn in 2006. The dangers of GM crops DVD exposing the dangers of growing GM crops in Australia www.newint.com.au/shop Rather than conduct additional research as the European authority requested, Monsanto decided to abandon its bid to introduce the corn to the European market. FSANZ has subsequently come under attack for its approval of the corn by the University of Canter-bury's centre for integrated research in biosafety in New Zealand. The research's leader, Professor Jack Heinemann, a prominent anti-GE campaigner, said FSANZ ignored the centre's detailed scientific analysis conducted over two years by 10 biosafety researchers and instead ''shopped around'' for alternative opinions which would cast a more favourable light on the corn's safety. Other countries which have approved LY038 include Canada, South Korea, the Philippines and Japan. Although the crop has yet to be grown here commercially, Monsanto Australia told the Herald there were no immediate plans to withdraw from the local market. The product had been withdrawn in Europe purely for commercial reasons, the Monsanto spokeswoman said, an assertion FSANZ repeated in a statement issued to the Herald yesterday. ''Following a rigorous safety assessment of genetically modified high lysine corn in 2006, we concluded that it was as safe as its conventional counterpart,'' the statement said. ''We have no safety concerns about this corn.'' FSANZ said it had followed the processes outlined by the international food standards-setting body, Codex Alimentarius, which is overseen by the World Trade Organisation. But Professor Heinemann said Monsanto went against the Codex Alimentarius by using another genetically modified product as the control in its safety studies. ''This violates both international food safety testing guidelines and European rules,'' he said. ''We were the first in the world to point this out and FSANZ chose to ignore it. The European Food Safety Authority didn't.'' The European authority also expressed concern that Monsanto had failed to conduct any tests on cooked LY038, which could cause a chemical chain reaction leading led to a higher level of advanced glycation end products, believed to be pathogenic. Research recently published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism found that if ingested, these end products could be linked to cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases. Earlier research has also suggested a link with some cancers and Alzheimer's disease. CROP FAILURE - Australian food regulator accused of ignoring research pointing to failings in the safety studies conducted by Monsanto. - Monsanto accused of using a GM product as its control, in contravention of international protocol. - Monsanto failed to conduct safety studies on cooked GE corn, leading to European regulator's concerns consumption could be linked to cancer, heart and kidney disease and Alzheimer's. Europe rejects GE corn but Australia has 'no concerns' KELLY BURKE CONSUMER AFFAIRS November, 2009