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Originally published in the November 2000 issue of Oxygen Magazine.

Hidden Dangers in your Dinner:

Food that cored low in CU toxicity index include bananas, apple juice, broccoli, canned peaches, milk, orange juice, frozen peas and sweet corn. These foods were either treated with fewer chemicals, in smaller quantities, or peeling or processing decreased pesticide levels.

Foods grown in other countries were generally less contaminated than U.S. crops. Eleven of the 12 highest toxicity scores were found on American produce.

CU even found traces of illegal pesticides on some foods. Certain amounts were attributable to persistent levels in soils, meaning that years after a pesticide has been declared illegal it remains in the ground and still shows up in our food. Other illegal residues were judged to have come from chemicals sprayed on nearby fields, where non-agricultural crops were raised.

Why all the fuss about pesticides in food, especially if they're within legal limits? Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill any insects that might eat fruits and vegetables. Liberal application of these compounds to growing crops is part of the reason you see all that glowing, unblemished produce in the supermarket -- there's nothing left alive in the fields to eat it. The problem is, these chemicals are not just toxic to insects, they can pose health risks for people as well.

Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certified thousands of pesticides for use on crops, CU found that three were responsible for the bulk of toxicity in the foods they tested: methyl parathion, dieldrin, and aldicarb.

Methyl parathion is an organophosphate pesticide. Organophosphates are highly toxic neurological poisons that cause insects to suffocate and die by blocking an essential enzyme called cholinesterase. In large doses, organophosphates can have the same immediate effect on humans, but the biggest concern for consumers is gradual long-term exposure -- what a person would experience by eating a little every day in their food.

There haven't been any conclusive studies of the effects on humans of chronic, low level exposure to these chemicals, so it's unclear as to what the consequences are. However, agricultural workers exposed to methyl parathion for prolonged periods have experienced impaired memory, depression, speech difficulties, disorientation, and flu-like symptoms.

Dieldrin is a carcinogenic pesticide that was banned in 1974, but continues to show up in significant quantities in produce because it lingers in the soil. Dieldrin is absorbed directly into plant pulp, and can't be removed by washing or peeling. In the human body, it gravitates to fatty tissues and can remain there for years.

A 1976 Danish study found that women with higher concentrations of dieldrin in their systems had twice the risk of breast cancer as those with minimal exposure. Other illegal pesticides such as DDT (which was banned in 1972) continue to show up in conventionally grown produce because they too persist in the soil for years.

Aldicarb is the most acutely toxic pesticide currently used on crops. It also is absorbed directly into produce and cannot be washed or peeled away. Many growers stopped using aldicarb in 1990, but some potato farmers resumed its use in 1996. It's licensed for use on 39 different crops, including coffee beans, yams, soybeans, sugar cane and citrus fruit.

Current EPA pesticide tolerance levels are based primarily on animal testing results, with an added safety margin for human use. However, these limits only reflect the effects of each pesticide in isolation, and rarely does an item of produce contain only one kind of residue. An average meal can contain a wide range of chemicals, which may act synergistically to create higher toxicity.

Dr. Carlos Santo is a naturopathic physician in Scottsdale, Arizona. In recent years, Santo has seen an increasing number of patients with vague, unexplained illnesses. He believes many of his patients are experiencing the effects of long-term exposure to pesticides and other toxins. "I run a toxic screen, such as a hair analysis, and look for these elements in the hair, or urine. If I find them, then I have to use specific types of cleanses, diets, herbs, and chelating agents in order to remove them from the body, or else the body never heals," Santo said.

"These diseases don't pop up overnight. Heart disease, cancers, tumors, uterine fibroids. How do these things grow? They grow because of low levels of buildup of these residues, where eventually the body is overwhelmed, and the liver can't process it out anymore."

In 1996, President Clinton signed the Food Quality Protection Act, which requires the EPA to reassess pesticide use and create more appropriate tolerances for children, who are more susceptible to toxins and tend to eat more produce than adults. The new law also mandates that the EPA evaluate the total risk to consumers from eating numerous residues at the same time. During the past three years, the EPA has re-evaluated 48 pesticides, cancelled a few, certified some more, and designated a high priority for the most toxic of the lot.

According to CU, the EPA has been slow to implement the law because of resistance from pesticide manufacturers and other agricultural interests. The most recent FQPA progress report cites a list of stakeholders (organizations who act in an advisory capacity to the EPA as it administers the new law). More than 50 percent of those listed are commercial agricultural enterprises, and another 20 percent are pest control firms.

Right now, the EPA is in the process of lengthy data gathering and assessment, which means it could be years before significant changes occur. In the meantime, you still have to eat.

There's a simple and sound solution to this problem, which will profoundly reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals -- eat organic foods instead. Organic produce is grown without pesticides, in soil enriched with compost. It's the best way for consumers to reduce their exposure to potentially harmful chemical residues.

In 1998, Consumer Reports published the results of their comparison study of organic versus conventionally grown produce. They found that organic produce showed minimal or nonexistent pesticide residues. Although organic produce isn't completely pesticide-free in all cases, CU found that only 25 percent of their organic samples contained any chemical residues, while 77 percent of their conventional counterparts had traces of pesticides. Across the board, organic foods bore the least toxic residues of any of the samples tested.

Concerned that all you'll end up having to settle for blemished, unattractive produce in order to eat healthy? Guess again. Organic farmers' methods of composting, crop rotation, and using naturally derived pest controls have resulted in vegetables and fruit that are every bit as beautiful to behold as conventionally grown crops, without the hidden load of chemicals.

Organic foods are currently available mostly at health food stores, although large health food supermarkets such as Wild Oats and Whole Foods are springing up in major U.S. cities, reflecting increased demands for healthy food. Prices can be higher than conventional produce, but they do vary and in some cases, prices for organic goods are lower.

As consumer demand increases, more mainstream supermarkets are stocking organic produce and other natural foods. If yours doesn't, speak to the manager and see if he or she is willing order some organic items. Merchants are happy to stock items they can sell, and the best way to get more organic food on the shelf is to buy it.

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