"Pure Opinions"
Can we trust the New Zealand Food Safety Authority?
 A selection of organic grains
“The method of reporting of pesticide residues detected in the TDS hides the fact that most composite regional food samples contained pesticide residues, with several having significant multiple residues. It is time for food without pesticide residues – this means organics,” said Soil & Health spokesperson Steffan Browning.
“Analysis of the Food Residue Surveillance Programme results for celery and spinach, showed 100% of the celery samples, and 75% of the spinach samples contained pesticide residues, with many samples containing multiple residues.”
Because celery contains a lot of water, it is known to absorb toxins in the soil. The celery and spinach were mostly contaminated with chlorothalinol (Bravo) or dithiocarbomates respectively, and sometimes with both. Other toxic pesticides were also found.
Of the celery samples, one had 6 different pesticide residues, one had 3 and three had 2. Fourteen spinach samples had at least 2 pesticide residues.
“The Total Diet Survey, far from giving our produce a clean bill of health has highlighted two persistent problems” said Dr Meriel Watts of Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa New Zealand.
“Tucked away at the back of the document are tables showing that almost all products made with grains such as wheat contains residues of the neurotoxic organophosphate insecticide pirimphos-methyl; and the majority of fruit and vegetables contain dithiocarbmate insecticides.”
“Pirimphos-methyl is used to fumigate grain silos, and there is no chance of removing it from the grain. Organic grain is not treated with this chemical”
“The dithiocarbamate insecticides which turned up in 16 out of 26 of the fruit and vegetables tested, is a perennial problem. It has become very clear that New Zealand simply has to stop using these particular pesticides if we are very going to stop the residue problem,” said Dr Watts.
Dithiocarbamate fungicides and chlorothalonil are on the Pesticide Action Network International list of Highly Hazardous Pesticides for global phase out.
Dithiocarbomate fungicides (eg mancozeb, maneb, thiram) are severe central nervous system toxicant, carcinogen, and endocrine disruptors. They also cause sterility and birth defects, affect the liver, kidney and respiratory and cardiac systems. Chlorothalonil is carcinogenic, mutagenic and an environmental toxin. It is thought to be responsible for aggravating the health effects of other pesticides.
A study of cancer patients by Massey University’s Centre for Public Health Research found increased leukaemia risk among horticultural workers, with risks to market gardeners and nursery growers, especially women, being higher than those to the general public.
In a separate study released by US government health staff in a recent issue of the American Society of Hematology journal, Blood, it was found that exposure to certain pesticides, including dieldrin and chlorothalonil (Bravo) increased the risks 5.6 fold and 2.4 fold respectively, of a blood disorder that can lead to multiple myeloma.
“Considering that dieldrin was banned in agriculture in New Zealand in 1968, and from other uses in 1989, the commonly used fungicide Bravo (chlorothalonil) as found in most non-organic celery, may be a significant culprit in New Zealand cancers. Soil & Health urgently wants studies to focus on Bravo,” said Mr Browning.
These chemical cocktails are increasingly being shown to be dangerous - and we wonder why we have such high cancer rates in New Zealand. What this all points to is the need for to boost organic agriculture in here. Organic produce has to become mainstream so that we can all afford to buy it.
And thank goodness for watchdog groups like NZFSA and PAN who pay attention to the details and implications of these reports. The Food Safety Authority are so clearly willing to gloss over them.
Posted by Robert Glensor on 22nd August, 2009 | Comments | Trackbacks
Tags: New Zealand Food Safety Authority, Pesticides Acition Network of Aotearoa New Zealand, Total Diet Survey, Soil & Health Association of New Zealand The trackback URL for this page is http://www.purebread.co.nz/trackback?post=14926029 TrackbacksThere are no trackbacks for this post There are no comments for this post Post a CommentHTML is not allowed in comments, http://... will be automatically linked.
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