By Alexis Temkin, PhD, Toxicologist
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019
Nearly 60 percent of kale samples sold in the U.S. were contaminated with residues of a pesticide the Environmental Protection Agency considers a possible human carcinogen, according to EWG’s analysis of 2017 Department of Agriculture test data.
Conventional kale farming relies heavily on the use of several synthetic pesticides, including Dacthal. The EPA’s 1995 classification of it as a possible carcinogen noted increases in liver and thyroid tumors. Dacthal can also cause other kinds of harm to the lungs, liver, kidney and thyroid.
A report by the Washington State Department of Agriculture recommended a complete phase-out of Dacthal in the state beginning in 2015. In California, But Amvac, a California-based manufacturer of Dacthal, argued that such uses were not a concern for human health. Siding with the manufacturer, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment disregarded the human health risks of this pesticide.
This is yet another reason why we should stay away from conventional fruits and vegetables and switch to organic. It is obvious that for some unknown (or maybe known) reason the food and drug governmental agencies tends to disregard serious health hazards to consumers and take the side of large chemical manufacturing companies when it comes to using their products on food.
© Copyright – Hector Sectzer
