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Message-ID:  <[log in to unmask]>
Date:         Thu, 25 Feb 1999 09:09:46 -0800
Reply-To:     Health and  Environment Resource Center              <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       Health and  Environment Resource Center              <[log in to unmask]>
From:         Andrew Gach <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      [HEALTHE] Group calls for ban of pesticide on fruit
To:           [log in to unmask]

Environmental group calls for ban of pesticide used on fruit

Associated Press

WASHINGTON, February 25, 1999

The Environmental Working Group demanded an immediate ban on the
pesticide methyl parathion, saying America's children are consuming too
much in their apples and peaches.

The pesticide industry denounced the warning Thursday as a scare tactic
that ignores Environmental Protection Agency studies. The agency itself
said the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables outweigh any risk the
pesticide might place.

The banning recommendation came from a report the group said analyzes
110,000 government-tested food samples along with detailed government
data on children's food consumption.

"It's the most toxic organophosphate in the food supply today," Richard
Wiles, vice president for research at EWG and the study's author, said.
He offered no clinical proof of harm.

Christopher Klose, a spokesman for the American Crop Protection
Association, described the report as "a massive assault on public
trust."

He asked: "Should parents trust the Environmental Protection Agency, or
should they trust the political operators who connive for scary
headlines?"

For its part, EPA issued a statement that said: "It is important to note
that the U.S. food supply is still the safest in the world and that the
benefits of eating a balanced diet outweigh any risks." The EPA is
implementing the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, which requires it to
re-examine pesticides and tighten exposure limits to protect young
children.

The Environmental Working Group report said roughly 2 percent of all
apples, grapes and pears and almost 19 percent of peaches have so much
organophosphate insecticides even after they are washed that eating
three bites will cause the average 25-pound 1-year-old to exceed daily
EPA safety standards.

Wiles said methyl parathion is the most commonly used pesticide on those
fruits.

The group said red raspberries, strawberries, apples, peaches grown in
the United States and cantaloupe from Mexico are the foods most
contaminated with pesticides. Fruits cited as having the least amount of
pesticides were watermelon, bananas, kiwi, pineapple and domestically
grown cantaloupe. The least contaminated vegetables are corn, onions and
peas, the study said.

The study's authors suggested parents diversify their children's fruit
consumption, trying those less likely to have pesticides, or buy
organically grown produce.

Consumer Reports issued a similar study last week that was also critical
of pesticide use in fruits and produce.

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