No amount of elbow grease, water, liquid soap or natural produce wash will completely eliminate chemicals from your fruits or veggies. Some pesticides, instead of just remaining on the skin of the produce, will actually penetrate other parts of the plant to control pests. Residues from these pesticides simply cannot be washed off.
While the EPA says pesticides are nothing to worry about, who knows for sure what's safe and what the long term effects of pesticides are? "We can test the effects of specific chemicals on animals or on tissue samples, but no one can be certain what the effects of chemical combinations are on any one genetically unique person" (Dawn Gouge, PH.D, Men's Health).
Interestingly enough, a recent study in Pediatrics linked high levels of organophosphates (a type of pesticide) in children to an increased risk of developing ADHD.
Here's what I think: Pesticides are man-made chemicals designed to kill pests by destroying their nervous system. So why wouldn't they eventually do the same to us? Obviously, we're much larger in size, but all that means is that it takes a greater quantity of pesticides to wreck havoc on our systems and give rise to neurological and developmental effects as well as chronic disorders like MS, ADHD, skin disorders and cancer.
That's why I suggest reducing, if not, completely eliminating your exposure to pesticides by buying organic produce whenever possibly. If buying organic all the time is impossible or just too expensive, consider only getting organic when purchasing produce off the "the dirty dozen" list.
And because I'm so into video lately...
♥ Cheers to your health ♥
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