HIDDEN THREAT - CARCINOGENS LURKING IN VEGGIES
24% Food Samples Contained Pesticide Residues; Above Safe Levels In 4%
Nearly 24.2% of the food samples tested in the state was found to have residues of pesticides. The residues were higher than permissible limit in over 4% of the food samples tested. The food items tested include vegetables, fruits, rice, wheat, pulses, spices, red chilli powder, milk and water.
This is revealed in the annual progress report -`Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National Level' -prepared by the Union ministry of agriculture on tests conducted by Anand Agriculture University (AAU) and National Institute of Occupational Health, (NIOH), Ahmedabad.
What is causing worry is that some of the pesticides whose traces were found in the tested food samples are known to cause cancer. AAU vice-chancellor N C Patel said that the presence of pesticides in food can cause several other diseases beside cancer.
“We have been given measurements for different pesticides that can be used for each crop but farmers don't follow scientists' instructions,“ said Patel, “Even samples of food produced by organic farming were found to have residues of pesticides.“
The AAU vice-chancellor further said that this was because the pesticide found was extensively used in the past and, hence, it was still present in the soil.“The other reason could be that even farm ers who are into organic farming were using pesticides at times to kills insects,“ he said.
The report reveals that of the 1,176 samples analyzed by AAU, pesticide residues were found in 285, while the pesticide content was higher in 54 samples.These samples were collected by AAU from Dakor, Khambhat, An k l e s h w a r, Anand, Baroda and Bharuch. NIOH, Ahmedabad, analyzed 901 food samples collected from Manek Chowk, Ahmedabad and Kadi and found pesticide traces in 29 samples. Of these, four samples were found to have pesti cide residues on the higher side.
Interestingly, both NIOH and AAU tested samples of even organic vegetables and found that they too had traces of pesticide. According to the report, out of 20,618 samples from across the country that were analyzed, pesticide residues were detected in 3,857 (18.7%).
Pesticide residues above permissible limit were found in 543 samples (2.6%). The re port further says that traces of non- approved pesticides were detected in 12.5 % of the samples. AAU collected and analyzed 229 vegetable samples from farm-gate from which measurable residues were detected in 81 samples, while the traces were above the permitted limit in 9.2% of the samples.
Similarly NIOH, Ahmedabad had also collected samples from farm-gate (173) and organic retail outlets (20).
Pesticides common in Gujarat food samples
The following pesticides were found above permissible limits in Gujarat food samples that were tested: Dimethomorph, Mancozeb, Chlorpyrifos, Phorate. Acetamiprid, Carbendazim, Triazofos, Tebuconazole, Buprofezin, Monocrotophos, Ethion, Phosphamidon, Carbofuran, Chlorpyrifos and Profenofos.