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13 Dec 2001
Supermarket Food Laced with Hormone Disrupters
Government data, released today, reveals that grapes, kiwi fruit, lemons, and milk from major supermarkets contained residues of pesticides which are known to affect the hormone system.
Friends of the Earth (FOE) is calling on retailers to prohibit the use of these pesticides on food grown in the UK and abroad. But despite claims by the supermarkets that they are acting to reduce pesticide use, our food is still laced with toxic chemicals.
The tests, carried out between April and June 2001, showed residues of pesticides in:
None of the goats milk, honey or organic produce samples tested contained pesticide residues.
The milk tested was found to contain lindane, a pesticide which is to be banned across the EU in 2002 because of health concerns. Lindane is known to affect the hormone system and has been linked with increased rates of breast cancer. Nearly half the samples of kiwi fruit contained vinclozolin - the most common pesticide found in the report - which has anti-androgenic (anti-maleness) effects. In studies, reduced sperm counts have been associated with exposure to this chemical. One of the most commonly found pesticides in grapes was iprodione and the majority (81%) of lemons contained dicofol. Both these pesticides have been listed by the European Commission as having strong evidence of hormone disrupting effects.
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
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