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If you think China’s powder milk scandal is the only food poisoning us, think again. Almost all food that mankind consumes today has some degree of chemical. Depending on where your food comes from, it could have varying levels and different kinds of chemicals. Both harmful and harmless chemicals creep into foods in a multitude of ways, while some are sprayed on food to keep insects and pests away, others seep in through the soil, yet others are pumped into fruits and vegetables making carrots oranger, apples rounder and redder and peaches bigger.
Modern science luckily, has allowed us to calculate and determine for ourselves the right amount of chemicals we can ingest before its fatal, the publicity of which gives rise to going back to the basics or a more marketable term – Organic foods.
Various governments around the world have identified several chemicals which when they reside in your body for long periods of time can create defects, abnormalities and/or death. The following are a list of chemicals found in our everyday foods, and the effects they have on humans.
What are the prime suspects?
Research has identified several pesticides that pose a risk to health over a prolonged period even with small-scale exposure, the BBC enumerates them.
Chlordecone: Leads to abnormal sperm and affects their ability to move.
Vinclozalin: Another hormone disruptor used on oilseed rape, apples, peas and beans, has been shown to cause serious developmental problems to baby male rats.
Carbendazim: The the most commonly used fungicide in the UK. It has been shown to disrupt sperm production in the testicles of adult rats, and to damage the development of mammals in the womb.
Lindane: Linked to breast and other cancers, and fertility problems.
DDT: Linked to cancer and male infertility after it was shown to block the action of male hormones. Banned in the developed world, and the UN Environment Program is trying to push through a worldwide ban on the hazardous chemical, but malaria specialists have campaigned against this, as DDT is used to kill the mosquitoes that carry the disease.
Organophosphates: Those used in sheep dip have been linked to excessive tiredness, headaches, limb pains, disturbed sleep, poor concentration, mood changes, and suicidal thoughts.
So what can be done to protect ourselves from these killer agents? The Asian food information center outlines ways in which we can reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals.
* Raw foods should be washed thoroughly before cooking and/or consumption. Washing in dilute vinegar solution, or solution of sodium bicarbonate, then rinsing with clean water will help to remove any chemical residues and also any soil or other foreign matter on the produce.
* Many chemicals applied to crops to protect from insects and disease are sprayed onto external surfaces, so peeling outer layer or skin when preparing fresh fruit and vegetables will remove any surface residues.
* Look out for the many of the quality assurance schemes, which guarantee chemical treatment of produce has strictly followed manufacturers recommendations and residues levels at point of harvest are either zero or very low. There are also an increasing number of retailers and growers offering ‘organic’ produce, however, be aware that ‘organic’ farming often uses some pest control substances, approved by the various associations established to promote this form of cultivation.
* Do not consumer berries, leaves or other edible plant material picked from roadsides or other public areas, as these plants as it is not possible to know if these plants have been sprayed intentionally or unintentionally contaminated with pesticides or other substances and will not be subject to safety restrictions of designated food crops.
