Strawberries contaminated with pesticides – you have to consider this when buying

According to an analysis by the German Federal Agency for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), conventionally grown strawberries are often contaminated with pesticides. The environmental protection organization announced this on Monday, citing laboratory tests on fruit from various retailers. In 15 of the 19 strawberry samples examined, residues of a total of eight antifungal agents (fungicides) were found.

• The list with the exact products can be found at BUND.

BUND pesticide expert: pollution causes “great concern”

According to BUND information, some of the fruit contained two or more active ingredients. These multiple burdens caused “great concern,” said the BUND pesticide expert Corinna Hölzel in a statement. “Interactions between pesticides can increase their toxic effects. So far, these dangers have not been sufficiently taken into account by the risk assessment.”

According to the BUND, substances that are hormonally active and have an effect even in low concentrations have been detected. Another fungicide is classified as harmful to reproduction. The organization also criticizes that pesticides get into the air, soil and water and can persist there for a long time. Some of these substances are also toxic to aquatic organisms and birds.

How to protect yourself: The best recommendation is that Buying organic strawberries . “Anyone who cannot reach for organic strawberries should put the sensitive fruits in wash thoroughly in cold, standing water “, advises the BUND on its website.

Pesticides are considered harmful to health

“Almost without exception, pesticides are also harmful to human health. Nobody disputes that anymore,” says the BUND. Since “pesticide” is only a function-related generic term for a large number of substances, the effects on human health can be very different. The list of possible hazards is long: from acute and chronic skin diseases to symptoms of poisoning from direct contact, cancer, damage to fertility and genetic material to birth defects in newborns. Overall, pesticides are among the most dangerous environmental toxins in the world.

Among other things, the federal government is demanding “at least a halving of the use of pesticides by 2030 and a ban on particularly dangerous pesticides,” said the BUND. “Mr. Özdemir, protect us from pesticides” is also the title of the petition that he is spreading on his website.

The fact that pesticides are not harmless substances is also made clear by the fact that they are repeatedly taken with suicidal intent, especially by desperate farmers in poorer countries. According to a study, more than 300,000 people commit suicide every year using pesticides.