Almost 90% of citrus fruit is contaminated with potentially harmful toxins according to a new report. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) says that non-organic fruits, such as lemons, grapefruits, and oranges are tainted with pesticides and fungicides designed to increase their shelf life and longevity but can also cause cancer.
According to Eat This, Not That!, EWG, a consumer advocacy group, tested 25 samples of these fruit and found they contained residues of imazalil and thiabendazole, two hormone-disrupting chemicals on almost 90% of the produce.
“The average level of imazalil was about 20 times higher than what EWG scientists would recommend as a safe level for children to protect against increased cancer risk,” said toxicologist Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., according to Eat This, Not That!
“This year, we decided to highlight fungicides because of their potential harm to children’s health and frequency of detection on citrus,” Temkin tells Newsmax. “Post-harvest fungicide use on non-organic citrus to increase the shelf-life of fruits is very prevalent and can lead to concerning levels of the fungicides in the fruits that end up on store shelves.”
Read more at NEWSMAX.
{Matzav.com}
