Toxic vegetables flood markets

THIS daily on Friday reported that a government laboratory detected the presence of high level of pesticides and toxic chemicals in winter vegetables available at the kitchen markets across the country. The National Food Safety Laboratory under the Institute of Public Health (IPH) carried out the test recently and found toxic chemicals above the standard level due to excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers. Insane use of pesticides by farmers and preservatives by wholesalers for more profit are posing serious threat to the public health. The consumption of such vegetables, though delicious, might bring hormonal change in human body that causes severe diseases and make organs dysfunctional. For protecting public health of the citizens, the Ministry of Health must work promptly or else endemic diseases may break out anytime.
The pesticide exposure is particularly high in cauliflower and spinach and their safety consumption benchmarks are exceeded by a factor of 4-36 times the normal safe level for human consumption. The test revealed the danger level of organophosphate agents like Chloropyrifos, Parathion Methyl and Malathion in the vegetables.
Experts warned that children could be affected by ‘cumulative risk’ of pesticide exposure from dietary consumption. This can lead them to the risk of cancer in later life and dietary consumption sometimes can even lead to the deaths of children. Physicians and public health experts asked people to be more careful about children as the consumption of the chemically tainted vegetables may change their hormone levels that will result in disability, and retard development of the brain and body. Contaminated food intake mixed with toxic chemicals could also lead to liver and kidney diseases and put an adverse impact on the nervous system of the human body.
Some pesticides can be removed from fruits and vegetables through washing them properly and light scrubbing but there are some which cant be washed out. The government must check the winter vegetables before they enter the market and punish the farmers and wholesalers for using excessive pesticides. Besides, the Ministry of Agriculture should make the growers limit the use of pesticides in vegetables and fruits.
Organic pest control measures may be helpful in controlling harmful pests for vegetables. The Agricultural Universities have to come out with research by inventing alternatives to pesticides for the germfree and safe vegetable production. Collective endeavors of all concerned can ensure that we can consume vegetables safely. There is no scope to leave public health safety to chances, it must be ensured and that too by the state.