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,"  

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 defence against pesticide contamination.
"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

If pesticides were used at the blooming stage do they then contaminate the fruit from within?  For example, what benefit would it be to wash an apple.  This would of course apply to all non-organic fruits & vegetables.

good seeing you here again P/C.  good info.. did you see the CNN special?  

No, it was linked to me  by a Friend.

been reading a lot on allergies, also just finished fitting a new floor in M's bedroom, working on skirting tomorrow.

M's doing great. oxo

Quoted from policychecker

No, it was linked to me  by a Friend.

been reading a lot on allergies, also just finished fitting a new floor in M's bedroom, working on skirting tomorrow. You wear skirts? I thought that was the Scots not the Irish??!!

M's doing great. oxo

Quoted from DenverFoodie

If pesticides were used at the blooming stage do they then contaminate the fruit from within?  For example, what benefit would it be to wash an apple.  This would of course apply to all non-organic fruits & vegetables.

Isn't all fruit sprayed with something before it is shipped for increased shelf life? I thought it was, so washing is a good idea.

Contamination can certainly occur from within the fruit or vegetable.  Many of the pesticides are absorbed through the root system of the plant carrying the poisons into the food.  The so called dirty dozen are more likely to be infected through root transportation than the safer foods being protected with thick outer coverings.  

Quoted from Andrea AWsec

Isn't all fruit sprayed with something before it is shipped for increased shelf life? I thought it was, so washing is a good idea.

If the fruit is tainted on the inside isn't it like "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic" by washing the outside?

I thought washing fruit was to remove the potential 'germs' from other peoples (picker/packers/shoppers) hands and general air born dirt.

We only use organic now and soak in a solution of a few drops grapefruit seed extract after rinsing and then rinse again.

There are so many interesting and smart people here.. I would like to propose a thread that talks about pesticides, and other avoids for healthy living.. what it's called, why it's used and what it does to humans and the rest of the world, and WHAT alternatives??  or links added..   thanks ..

This thread nearly popped off the bottom of my page before I noticed it. I don't have time to write anything now but I will be watching and contributing to this thread when I have a little more time.

Thanks Goldie  

Last weekend I met with a HS alumni to listen to another alumni play at an outdoor art fest.  At lunch she told me that when her daughter was 3 yrs old the window was open when her neighbor sprayed his yard.  She had an immediate reaction that changed her personality from sweet to sour.  After many tests & doctors she finally found one who was able to cleanse her system and put her on a diet that helped.  Now that her daughter is in her 20’s she doesn’t react as severely when exposed to chemicals but still has some reaction.

I worked for a crop duster for 2 summers as a teen and also did the dusting of the garden for our family.  This was mid- to late-70's, so we didn't know as much about organic production as we do now...  I was exposed to multiple herbicides/pesticides/fungicides in the workplace and in the garden, plus much of the food being avoid for me.
At work, I was required to wear a respirator when we were using poisons, even if I couldn't smell it.  My boss was very good about making us read and follow the labels to make sure we were meeting/exceeding all of the safety guidelines.

Unfortunately, now many of the guidelines have changed because of the longer use record and more research.  One product I used heavily in the garden said, "Wash well after use."  The same product now says, "A 5 minute exposure WILL cause nerve damage."  The biggest problem I have with chemicals is that there are not adequate tests done to know that there will not be long-term damage.

There are many methods to use, at least in a small scale, to replace chemical usage.  Many sites discuss natural alternatives to pesticides.  This is largely dependent on the specific pest (and the host plant), so it would take a book to start to cover all of the options.  Herbicides can be largely replaced with an early cultivation and mulching.

There is plenty of scientific evidence to show that organophosphate pesticides remain in our food. These pesticides accumulate in the fat deposits in our body where they remain. Not only do they contribute to problems in the human reproductive system and other organs, development and behavioral abnormalities, disruption of hormone function, immune dysfunction and obesity but can and do cause neurological defects in breast fed babies and even fetuses in the womb.

Organic and green food is in my opinion the only way forward.

I was at the feed store last week, an older gentleman was want seven-dust (not sure of spelling) Sounded like they are working at taking it off the market. I sure hope so. It's called seven dust because it has 7 poisons in it. It's use is responsible for the death of many a bee hive and is of concern for the contamination of many people. Why people would put it on their garden vegetable is beyond me.

After talking to him, he got the last can they had to put under his porch, and a 50lb bag of diatomaceous (spelling?) earth

PolicyChecker started a thread like this a couple of months ago:

Here is the link:
http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?m-1275593661/

Quoted from deblynn3

I was at the feed store last week, an older gentleman was want seven-dust (not sure of spelling) Sounded like they are working at taking it off the market. I sure hope so. It's called seven dust because it has 7 poisons in it.

Sevin is a registered trademark of Bayer.

It is not 7 poisons, it is only:    1-naphthyl N-methylcarbamate

some time ago they used fire hoses to reach the top of the trees.. no special gear.. I wonder what that might have done or will do to the watertable or the well water..

Thankfully, diatomataceous earth is not bad.  It's just ground up diatoms (microcrystalline silica, essentially).  It's rough and irritates the slugs so they stay away from stuff.

I'm trying to remember from my environmental geologist days what some of the things we tested for were.

Organochlorines: Dieldrin, heptachlor, heptchlor epoxide, toxaphene, chlordane, endosulfan 1, endosulfan 2, endrin, endrin aldehyde, endrin ketone, BHCs (three types, including lindane), DDT (many types, just like PCBs), DDA (breakdown product of DDT, I believe?), aldrin, methoxychlor.

Organophosphates: Diazinon, parathion, dimethoate, ethion, malathion.

Carbamates:  carbofuran, carbaryl

Paraquat

Then there are the arsenic and lead-based pesticides from way back in the day.  Those are really bad.

I think a lot of the organochlorines and organophosphates have been banned because they're bad bad bad (DDT and PCBs are examples, both OCs).  The OCs tend to cause cancers and screw up reproduction.  The OPs tend to be nerve agents and cause neurotoxicity.  Both would be huuuuge avoids for explorers (or anyone), obviously.  Luckily, OPs break down pretty quickly, but OCs are very persistent.  

Just in case you're wondering how bad these things are, Sarin and VX were both nerve gases used in war and terror attacks, and they're OPs.  Dioxin was used to poison that Ukranian prime minister/president candidate and it's an OC (breakdown of lots of organochlorine compounds).  The Ukranian guy had some really horrible chloracne (here's a photo of before and after: http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/The-scars-of-a-peaceful-revolutionary/2004/12/05/1102182160895.html).  Agent orange is an OC.

I think, luckily, we're being protected from a lot of these by the fact that a lot of them have been banned in the U.S.  Unfortunately, it's a global marketplace.

Uh, right.  So, there's my brain dump for the evening.  Can you tell I'm procrastinating?!  

I wonder what the efects on our wellwater is after using stuff like that which a year later is recalled or banned...  

THANKS for the post.. 'good' procrastination..

Quoted from Juliette

I thought washing fruit was to remove the potential 'germs' from other peoples (picker/packers/shoppers) hands and general air born dirt.

Correct.  

If the pesticides have been absorbed through the root system you can wash all you'd like and even toss the peelings away and you've not lessened your chance for exposure to the poisons any.  

It kind of surprises me that this thread hasn't been more popular and it makes me wonder if the majority of people on this diet are doing so for weight issues much more than health issues.

We should educate ourselves about the s-it we put in our bodies. All these threads are worth a read.



http://heartspring.net/plastic_xeno_estrogen.html
http://living.amuchbetterway.com/seven-deadly-pesticides-in-our-food/
http://www.cancernet.co.uk/diet-xenoestrogens.htm
http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/Factsheet/Diet/fs37.hormones.cfm

After reading Clean, Green, and Lean, I stopped  buying any non-organic produce from the "dirty dozen" list, and I switched to organic milk for DS. I was already using organic butter, and I still don't have access to kosher organic beef. (skipping the beef consumption isn't an option, not if I want to be healthy.)

I have to wonder if people in the stores think we're crazy when I make a point to get organic peaches and strawberries, clearly show my dissapointment when they're out of stock on organics (and look fondly at the conventional peaches without buying) and then walk away from the organic grapefruit and grab a bag of conventional ones.

Washing your fruit and vegetables in your tap water may be a good or bad idea, depending on what part of the US/world you live in.
The UK, tap water results don't look that healthy and we use a certified high end carbon filter system on our boat. At sea we convert sea water into fresh water but we still put it through a carbon filter before drinking it.
You can have your water tested and you can ask your local water supplier for a report on the quality of your tap water.  

I buy organic (pink) grapefruits. They are marvellous, but I have to say I haven't tried non-organic grapefruits for a while

This is a very good thread, let's keep it up!