Various agricultural drugs called pesticides are used in agricultural production to protect fruits and vegetables from microorganisms and pests. Although there is a legal limit on pesticide use, consuming too much of these chemicals along with food brings about various health problems. General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pelin Basım and Food Engineer and Culinary Arts Department Head Dr. Lecturer Emine Olum made important warnings on the subject.
IT CAN CAUSE BREAST, PROSTATE AND COLON CANCER
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Basım said, “Pesticides must be used to ensure the safety of agricultural products and to prevent them from being infested by pests. However, they must be used in the right dosage and appropriately,” and continued as follows:
“Their unhealthy use or consumption without cleaning can lead to many health problems. It can cause Parkinson’s, various cancers, especially cancers that are directly related to nutrition such as breast, prostate, and colon cancer, forgetfulness, premature aging, food poisoning due to toxic effects, and genetic diseases that can be passed on to the unborn baby.”
“SOAK IN CARBONATE WATER FOR 15-30 MINUTES”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pelin Basım, who stated that using vinegar is not enough when washing fruits and vegetables, said, “There is a false belief among our people that vinegar water will completely clean these pesticides or that these pesticides can be cleaned with detergents. The best cleaning agent is baking soda. Soaking in baking soda water largely destroys pesticides. We recommend that foods be soaked in baking soda water for 15-30 minutes.” Basım added that fruits and vegetables should be purchased from reliable places, washed with plenty of water and peeled before consumption.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PESTICIDE POISONING?
Basım stated that consuming vegetables and fruits infected with high doses of pesticides can lead to poisoning, and said:
“Acute symptoms such as nausea, high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, which resemble typical tourist diarrhea, are seen. Emergency services are quite experienced and when they question the food consumed, pesticide poisoning is revealed. Chronic exposure to high doses of pesticides, rather than acute poisoning, can lead to unpreventable and incurable diseases. Especially in individuals with a history of cancer and chronic diseases, prolonged exposure to these pesticides can definitely trigger diseases. It can cause DNA breaks and lead to a chain of diseases that result in gene mutation and the destruction of cells that repair our immune system.”
PESTICIDES ARE MOSTLY FOUND IN THESE PRODUCTS
Dr. Lecturer Emine Olum also provided important information about pesticides. When reminded that lemons exported in recent months were sent back to Turkey, Olum said that the regulations in Turkey are the same as those in the European Union (EU), but some farmers use more pesticides than necessary to increase yields due to economic concerns.
Emphasizing that farmers should be careful about overdosing when using chemical pesticides, Dr. Olum stated that the fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides are strawberries, peaches, pineapples, grapes, nectarines, apples, pears and spinach.
Certified products should be purchased and chain markets should be preferred.
Dr. Olum explained what citizens should pay attention to when purchasing products:
“They can choose products with Good Agricultural Practices certificates and Organic Agriculture Certificates from large supermarkets. These certified products use pesticides with very low residue limits. The Ministry of Agriculture inspects them. Washing the products with plenty of water and peeling their skins is also effective. There are scientific studies showing that pesticides are effectively reduced in a 10 percent baking soda solution. Chain supermarkets inspect their own suppliers and conduct their own analyses.”
Olum said that the training given to farmers should be increased in order to reduce pesticide use, and said, “Farmers should be aware that they are harming their own soil and water. These trainings should be done regularly and continuously. Farmers should be made aware of and supported on some healthy farming methods such as Good Agriculture.”
WHAT IS A PESTICIDE?
All chemical substances used against living organisms that harm plants and animals are called pesticides. They are used in agricultural production to eliminate or reduce biological factors such as certain pests, insects, rodents, lice, grass and mold after agricultural production. The suitability of the analyses performed is evaluated according to the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Maximum Residue Limits of Pesticides. (İHA)
