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M8.3 Blog Pesticides

M8.3 Blog Pesticides

For last nights meal, I had asparagus, pork, and rice. The website showed that asparagus had 9 pesticide residues. The most common pesticide was methyl. The breakdown is listed below:

1
—
Known or Probable Carcinogens
7—Suspected Hormone Disruptors
3—Neurotoxins
3—Developmental or Reproductive Toxins

Next, I looked at pork, which had 3 residues. I was shocked to see that a vegetable had a higher pesticide count than meat. The most common pesticide was Carbaryl. The breakdown of pesticides were as follows:

1—Known or Probable Carcinogens
3—Suspected Hormone Disruptors
1—Neurotoxins
1—Developmental or Reproductive Toxins

Lastly, I looked at rice, which had 15 pesticide residues! The most common pesticide was piperonyl butoxide. The breakdown of pesticides in rice were as follows:
4—Known or Probable Carcinogens4
10—Suspected Hormone Disruptors
2—Neurotoxins
3—Developmental or Reproductive 

Overall, I was shocked that rice had such a high pesticide count. Even more, I was shocked that pork had a significantly lower pesticide count than the other two food items I looked at. This makes me curious about what other food items may have really high rates of pesticide residues. This information would greatly influence my own personal food choices. In terms of public health, tightening up FDA standards would be a start towards making food safer and healthier for the consumers. 

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