Agroaldea
The 28% of our food products analyzed have pesticide residues. The percentage increases to 45% in fruits and vegetables.
The report 'Direct your hormones. Disruptors Food Guide 'has presented Ecologists in Action, analyzes official data from the Spanish Consumer Agency, Food Security and Nutrition (AECOSAN) to warn of the danger of exposure of the Spanish population to pesticides through food.
The report focuses analysis on a type of pesticide, hormonal contaminants (also they are known as endocrine disruptors or EDC), with ability to alter the normal operation of the hormonal system both humans and animals. The guide draws up a list of 10 more contaminated food. The pears, with 16 EDC pesticides, rank first.
The population exposure to these toxic relates to diseases and health damage whose incidence has increased in recent decades as loss of fertility, Congenital malformations, diabetes, obesity, damage to the immune system, autism, hyperactivity syndrome and various cancers such as breast, prostate, testicles or thyroid.
The current legislation, which allows the presence of pesticides below a residue limit for food, It is inadequate for hormonal contaminants. Any minimal amount is a danger, that can be multiplied by the combined action of tens of pesticides found by analysis.
For this reason, European Regulation 1107/2009 expressly prohibits the use of pesticides that may affect the hormonal system. However, this prohibition has not been applied, because the European Commission has not developed legal criteria for the identification of hormonal pollutants.
The publication of the report coincides with the discussion in Brussels of a proposed definition of hormonal pollutants has received harsh criticism from the scientific community, organizations for health care and the environment and countries like Sweden, Denmark and France.
Ecologists in Action believes that representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment oppose the proposal of the European Commission and step forward to protect the health of its population, banning pesticides which may disrupt the hormonal system.
Access report 'Direct your hormones. Food Guide disruptors'.