‘Pesticide cocktails’ polluting apples across Europe, study finds | Pesticides
Environmental groups have raised the alarm after finding toxic “pesticide cocktails” in apples sold across Europe.
Pan EuropeanA coalition of NGOs campaigning against pesticide use had nearly 60 apples purchased from 13 European countries, including France, Spain, Italy and Poland, analyzed for chemical residues.
Eighty-five percent of the samples contained residues of various pesticides, with some apples showing traces of seven different chemicals, the organizations said.
Pan-European advised consumers to buy organic apples or peel conventionally grown apples before eating them.
In 71% of cases, Pan Europe detected so-called “substitution candidates”, pesticides classified as among the most dangerous pesticides in the EU, which the bloc aims to phase out as soon as possible.
The analysis also found that 64% of the samples contained at least one per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, also known as Pfas or “forever chemicals,” which are found in the environment and in everyday products.
Pesticide residues below certain maximum levels are permitted in the EU. But Pan Europe warned of a “cocktail effect” if consumers are exposed to multiple pesticides simultaneously in a single product.
Martin Dermine, a senior official in the coalition, criticized the European Food Safety Authority for assessing pesticides individually rather than the risk of “multiple exposure” to various substances. “In this report we show that 85% of apples have more than one residue, and we don’t know if they are safe for consumption,” he said, citing potential links to cancer and infertility.
Pan Europe said if the same apples were sold as processed baby food, 93 percent of the samples would be banned because pesticide residues exceed stricter limits set for children under three. EU rules to protect the early development of baby food are stricter.
Apples are among Europeans’ favorite fruits and are among the most widely grown fruits in the EU, especially in Poland, Italy and France. They are also among the fruits most heavily treated with pesticides used to combat apple scab, the main fungal threat to orchards. Of the many annual treatments performed on the fruit, more than half (around 35 on average) target the disease.
