A Scare at Lunchtime ...

Dr Oliver Moore on some scary research into pesticide residues ...

Halloween. A time of cozy consolidation – of enjoying the bounty nature has just provided, and of settling in and getting ready for the Winter. A juncture between Autumn and Winter, this gatekeeping date has had a significance for people for eons.

From its origins as a crossover time between worlds, it has morphed into something of a children's festival. Ghoulish garb and ghastly goings on abound around the trick or treating, the bonfires, the clandestine fireworks and the all round rawkus revelry.

The boogie man may have moved from spooky story character to disco king, but there's plenty still to scare a soul before on All Soul's day.

Like that apple for bobbing: sprayed with up to 48 pesticides, detectable even after ten seconds of washing with water. And its not just some apples, 98% of conventional apples have detectable traces of pesticides after washing.

We are told that these levels are perfectly fine. We are told that only a small percentage of fruits or vegetables have levels above the legal doses, or have banned pesticides in them.

This is reassuring of course, but only to a point. First of all, not all apples are the same: Some individual apples have been shown to have more pesticides on them than others. This is because apples on the outer ends are more exposed than those closer to the trunk of the tree, especially in cases of aerial pesticide spraying.  However scientific tests, as standard practice, tend to mash the apples together, rather than test individual apples. This despite the fact that we eat them as individual apples.

There is also new research linking pesticides to development issues in children. Tests beginning in the third trimester of pregnancy, and running for a set number of years, are starting to show the effects of pesticides on cognitive development. Decrements in working memory, perceptual reasoning, IQ, processing speed and verbal comprehension have all been shown in recent research to be associated with prenatal pesticide exposure. 

Worryingly, the mothers in question had levels that were, while higher than average, within the normal range of the population. (see the August 2011 edition of Environmental Health Perspectives, available as an open access journal on line at http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/home.action )

It’s important to maintain a sense of balance when reviewing research like this. No-one wants to contribute to a blame or scare culture around food. But equally, as consumers, we need to make informed food choices. This new research merits close inspection and careful consideration. 

There are many ways to try to avoid synthetic pesticides in your diet, should you want to. For one thing, choose organic food – there are no synthetic pesticides allowed in organic farming. 

Growing a small amount of your own food – even a windowbox of herbs or salad leaves – can be informative, rewarding and reassuring in equal measure. I'm hoping that, in particular, my windowsill Rosemary plant will carry on providing its flavourful and robust leaves over the Winter.

You can also join campaigns against the use of pesticides. Irish organic certification body IOFGA – the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association -  are open to membership from non-producers. They do campaign work in the wider health and environmental spheres, on organic school gardens, policy issues and the like. See www.IOFGA.org. Likewise, the UK's Soil Association does great work on broader environmental issues and are worth interacting with www.soilassociation.org.

There are specific campaigns run by organisations like the Pesticide Action Network ( www.panna.org ) Friends of the Earth ( www.foe.ie )or the umbrella group Irish Environmental Network (www.ien.ie )

Most of all though, the simple act of choosing organic food over other options supports an alternative to the pesticide treadmill.

http://olivermoore.blogspot.com (W) or @oliver_moore (T)