Consumer magazine dTest focused on the health of favorite summer drink ingredients, and lemons, limes and mint. It also investigated how large the consumer is exposed to the risk of eating chemically treated citrus peel. Tested were 15 kinds of lemons, seven labeled biocitróny whose bark is not chemically treated and in the cultivation of prohibited pesticides. At the same time it was bought seven kinds of limes. Chemical analysis for the presence of pesticides were subjected to whole fruit, including the peel.
Test showed that growers limes do not go always with pesticides responsibly. "In six cases, the measured levels of pesticides negligible to minor, but limes from Mexico (Fruesh Ltd.) Purchased the balance in store Albert, lab found a fivefold excess of EU limits for the product parathion-methyl, "says Nikola Švábová of dtest. How dtest confirmed by the spokesman of the State Phytosanitary Administration Zbynek Škodáček, this pesticide was due to its high toxicity banned in the EU ten years ago.
Tests lemons have not already unpleasant surprises. In biocitrónech tested with no chemical products and have not found their bark could be eaten without worry. Human health, however, impair or consumption of chemically treated lemon peel. Each of the tested fruits while containing residual amounts of two or more pesticides and their contents are measured with a large margin granted an EU limits. These limits are set for the whole citrus fruit, including the peel. By the European Commission took into account the fact that some consumers it is citrus zest.
"The laboratory also examined whether chemical agents removed from lemon peel by washing with warm water, but this assumption has not been confirmed," said Nikola Švábová.
In the case of mint were two test samples completely free of pesticides, other fresh herbs were purchased for pesticides below the limits set by the Union. Limits for pesticides, however, are in mint set very high, so it is difficult to exceed.
Source: tz dTest.cz
