The toxicological significance of exposures to synthetic chemicals is examined in the context of exposures to naturally occurring chemicals. We calculate that 99.99% (by weight) of the pesticides in the American diet are chemicals that plants produce to defend themselves. Only 52 natural pesticides have been tested in high-dose animal cancer tests, and about half (27) are rodent carcinogens; th...

Globally, 1031 species of arthropods are associated with the intensively managed tea Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze monoculture. All parts of the plant, leaf, stem, root, flower, and seed, are fed upon by at least one pest species, resulting in an 11%-55% loss in yield if left unchecked. There has been heavy use of organosynthetic pesticides since the 1950s to defend the plant against these p...

Farmers in Washington State use pesticides to control harmful pests that might interfere with the quality of their products. Farmworkers, who are primarily responsible for thinning, harvesting, and other agricultural work, are often exposed to these pesticides and take home pesticide residues on their clothing, shoes, and skin, potentially exposing children in the household to pesticides. We de...

Pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables are one of the highest concerns of consumers who need food safety. In this study, forty-eight pesticide residues from different chemical structure including organochlorine, organophosphorus, organonitrogen, dicarboximides, strobilurin, triazine, pyrethroids and other chemical groups. in 85 fruits and vegetables were determined and confirmed by GC-MS. ...

In recent years in Poland we may observe a considerable development of organic vegetable production. Increased interest in organic products results from an opinion of the consumers on their high quality and health safety. However, results of research comparing nutritive value and contents of biologically active compounds in vegetables from organic and conventional farms are ambiguous. Most stud...

Farmworkers are exposed to pesticides and may take home pesticide residues to their families. In this paper, self-reported pesticide exposure and home practices to reduce the amount of pesticide residues taken home were examined among 571 farmworkers. Urine samples from a subsample of farmworkers and children and dust samples from households and vehicles also assessed pesticide exposure. Overal...

This study analyzed consumer response to potatoes tested for pesticide residues. These potatoes were packed in five pound bags and priced at three different levels in participating supermarkets. Even when sold at identical prices, consumers continued to favor the traditional round white over the residue-tested potatoes. However, sales of residue-tested were equal at all three price levels, indi...

Probabilistic techniques were used to characterize dietary exposure of consumers to pesticides found in twelve commodities implicated as having the greatest potential for pesticide residue contamination by a United States-based environmental advocacy group. Estimates of exposures were derived for the ten most frequently detected pesticide residues on each of the twelve commodities based upon re...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pesticide residues in human blood samples of volunteers related to Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas districts, Pakistan. The volunteers of both districts were divided into four groups on the basis of their exposure period to pesticides i.e. Group A—5 to 9 years, Group B—10 to 14 years, Group C—15 to19 years and Group D—above 20 years. Out of total 188 vo...

Fresh potatoes (228 samples) from 34 farmers' markets in Alberta were analyzed for 29 pesticides. Residues of three different pesticides were found in the samples tested with chlorpropham being most frequently detected (n = 13) at concentrations ranging from 15 to 7,600 μg kg(-1). Azoxystrobin (n = 11) and imidacloprid (n = 8) were found at concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 5.1 and 15-31 μg kg...