Click here to see how many Endocrine Disrupting pesticides have been found by PAN-Europe in : lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, leek, peaches, strawberries, pears, table grapes, peppers and the complete data
What’s in European fruit and vegetables? What do European consumers ingest everyday? What’s in our lettuce, tomatoes, table grapes?... To start with, there are about 30 endocrine disrupting pesticides. To find out more, read PAN Europe's new consumer guide:
View the Consumer Guide
Or view the guide in English -UPDATED VERSION-,
Updated French, Spanish, German, Polish, Updated Dutch
and ITALIAN
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are on the loose today. They are used for the composition of most common products including pesticides that can be found in our food.
Despite alarming scientific evidence linking EDCs to severe chronic diseases, exposure to pesticides with endocrine disrupting properties remains disregarded by current regulations. PAN Europe has decided to compensate for this by publishing this consumer guide with a special ranking of the 10 most "disrupting" food items in the European Union.
For instance, Lettuce presents an average amount of EDC pesticides found of 1300 microgrammes per kilogramm which represents 40 times more than the amount in one contraceptive pill. In fact, the total amount in a contraceptive pill is below 200 microgrammes. Therefore the average EDC amount in fruit and vegetables is everything but negligible.
PAN Europe and its partners want to underline that fruit and vegetable consumption is absolutely crucial for your health. But some products are healthier than others.
Consumers at risk
Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, also known as EDCs, may result in serious adverse effects and endocrine-related diseases. The most worrying part is that such effects are observed especially when exposure takes place during the sensitive early-life stages. Thus infants are the most vulnerable to EDCs exposure!
Some pesticides are EDCs, and although the new pesticide regulation demands that endocrine disrupting pesticides be banned, the European Commission is delaying to define the criteria to identify these chemicals and regulate them. Therefore, we - as consumers - have to act to protect ourselves and our children.
Download our leaflet 'Consumers at risk' for more information >>
You can also
- Download our Consumer Guide
- Read our Consumer Tips
- Read our Methology
- Spread the word for a real policy change now!
