Most of us don't like the idea of them. But do most of us really know what's bad about them?Pesticides are poisonous. They rid crops of pests by killing or preventing animals and insects from eating and destroying the plants. They are not exactly pro life.
The Soil Association restricts certified organic farmers to using seven specific pesticides, which are either of natural origin or simple chemical products and must only be used as a last resort. Over 300 pesticides can be used in non-organic farming and unfortunately there are no laws that force farmers or manufacturers to tell us what chemicals they use on food and other plant derived goods.
The residue of pesticides, such as Chlormequat and Organiophosphates, have been found on non-organic food. The chemical substances that make up many pesticides have been linked to cancer, birth defects, nerve damage, behavioural disorders and infertility.
The fact is pesticides do remain on the food we eat. Sometimes no amount of scrubbing and peeling will remove residue. There is no guarantee that pesticides are evenly distributed over crops and even if we could measure every piece of vegetable and fruit it's impossible to know the levels of each type of chemical we're actually ingesting and the amount built up in the body over time.
