It is quite possible to check vegetables and fruits for the content of chemicals "by eye" and without certain laboratory tests. "Be especially careful about off-season vegetables and fruits," said Georgi Suslyanok, an associate professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Moscow University.
"Naturally grown tomatoes should not be very large. If they look perfect, have a bright unnatural color and when cut, you see white streaks, then they most likely contain nitrates. Pay attention to the stalk - in chemically clean tomatoes it is not large ", stressed the specialist.
According to the expert, you should pay attention not only to the size, color and smell. For example, cucumbers must have seeds, and if they are almost absent, the vegetables are grown with pesticides.
Apples should be looked for in stains and other "small imperfections" because they simply indicate a lack of chemicals in them. And the presence of black dots on the strawberries betrays the content of nitrates. There should be no yellow fibers in the pulp of the watermelon. They are also a sign of nitrates.
Suslyanok advised not to buy vegetables and fruits out of season and, if possible, to give preference to local production.
An EWG study on fruits and vegetables showed which products had the highest pesticide content. Apples have the most chemicals and onions the least.
New research shows that apples on the market are the most contaminated compared to other fruits and vegetables we buy. After apples, peppers and celery are among the most dangerous products on the market.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) study aimed to identify the fruits and vegetables that are most dangerous to eat because of their high content of chemicals. The safest fruits and vegetables for consumption are also determined.
The purest were onions, pineapple and sweet corn. According to experts, they have the lowest content of chemicals.
Researchers claim that 68% of the products studied contain pesticides, as well as some chemicals that are banned for use in agriculture.
Organophosphates have been found in some of the fruits, which can cause problems in the nervous system. Such dangerous residues have also been found in baby food.
