The most risky foods

New Pesticides and Food Report

Friends of the Earth Produces New Pesticides and Food Report
Tuesday February 21 2012

Friends of the Earth today released a new report The Dose Makes the Poison? that highlights the Australian fruit and vegetables most at risk to pesticide residues and names the pesticides most commonly detected in Australian foods.

According to the research, the most risky foods are: Apples, Wheat, Strawberries, Pears, Grapes, Nectarines, Peaches and Bread. The most risky imported food over the past two years was Chinese peanut butter.

Friends of the Earth researcher Anthony Amis said; “Our members were asking what foods are the most risky in terms of pesticide residues and what pesticides are detected on non-organic foods.”

The research assessed all publicly available residue testing over the past decade. “The data collected was limited, with Victoria providing the best information, but even so, standardised testing is not carried out on all food groups every year in Victoria and the sample size for many foods tested in Victoria is alarmingly small” said Mr Amis.

The most commonly detected pesticide was the fungicide Iprodione, followed by the organophosphate (OP) insecticides Chlorpyifos and Chlorpyrifos Methyl and the Synergist Piperonyl Butoxide.

Organophosphate pesticides were the most commonly detected type of pesticide (28% of all detections. Insecticides accounted for 49.5% of all detections, followed by Fungicides 32.1%, Syngerists 5.6% & Herbicides 4.1%).

Friends of the Earth also researched recently published scientific reports regarding health effects of pesticides, particularly on children younger than 7 years of age.

“OP pesticides have been linked with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, learning and behavioural problems in children including lower IQ’s.”

“Also of concern was that of the 125 pesticides detected on Australian produce, 45% are suspected endocrine disruptors. A number of health problems are associated with endocrine disrupting chemicals, including lowered fertility, abnormal genitals in baby boys and decreased sperm counts in men” said Mr Amis.

“Long term exposure to pesticides has also been linked with some cancers and Parkinsons Disease”.

Alarmingly, the impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals, can be greatest at very low levels, lower than the levels commonly regarded as being safe by regulatory agencies. This is one of the regulatory systems greatest failings” said Mr Amis

For these reasons we are recommending that shoppers buy organic food where possible.

Download the report:
http://dev.foe.org.au/sites/default/files/TheDoseMakesThePoisonFeb2012.pdf