Are You Afraid of Pesticides?

Are you afraid of pesticide residues in your food? If you are, you are not alone. But you are not necessarily right.

In 1991, the Food and Drug Administration tested 19,000 samples of grain, fruits, dairy and egg foods, vegetables, fish and other meats for pesticide residues. A whopping 99 percent had NO unacceptable residues. The FDA could find no residues at all on 64 percent and found only legal acceptable levels in 35 percent.

People fear pesticides on fruits and vegetables more than on other foods because they often eat them raw. So the U.S. Dept of Agriculture tested 12 common fruits and vegetables. Only one and a half percent of the samples tested had residues above federal guidelines.

So where is the danger? Look around your home, specifically under the kitchen sink.

Studies show people with young children are most concerned about pesticides. Young children are at risk, but the danger is not necessarily on the foods they eat.

Half of all households with children under 5 have pesticides in unlocked cabinets within children's reach. This is also true in three-quarters of households without children. And many children are poisoned outside their own homes.

No matter what tests and safety figures show, people have strong, and often conflicting opinions about pesticides.

One myth is that everyone is fearful of pesticides. One study showed about a fourth of the public sees a great chance of harm from pesticides. But another fourth see very little or no chance of harm from pesticides.

Fact is, people worry about things they can't control, like pesticide residues. But the real danger comes from exposing themselves and their children to chemicals in the home. This is a threat we can do something about.

Billy Skaggs Agricultural Agent Hall County Extension Coordinator 734 East Crescent Drive Gainesville, GA 30501 Phone:(770)531-6988 Fax: (770)531-3994 Email: [email protected]