Washing fruit may not remove pesticides: Study
- The study was published in American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters
- It revealed pesticides went deeper than the surface
- Pesticides were decreased once the peel and top layer were removed
Red apples float on water during rinsing on the sorting line in the sorting warehouse on a farm in Russia
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(NewsNation) — An apple a day may not necessarily be enough to keep the doctor away.
According to a new study, merely washing fruit is not sufficient to remove residual pesticides and toxic chemicals.
“Cleaning operations cannot wholly remove pesticides,” the study published this month in American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters said.
The research revealed that pesticides penetrated the apple peel and pulp layers, thus outlining that washing is inadequate.
Although, once the peel and initial pulp layer were removed; pesticides decreased significantly.
“This study, situated within the expansive realm of food safety, endeavors to furnish health guidance to consumers,” said Dongdong Ye, author of the paper, said via The Guardian.
“Rather than fostering undue apprehension, the research posits that peeling can effectively eliminate nearly all pesticide residues, contrasted with the frequently recommended practice of washing.”
