Do pesticides cause cancer? How dangerous are pesticides and how to remove chemicals from fruits and vegetables?

These days people have become afraid of even eating fruits and vegetables. The amount of adulteration taking place in food items is causing many dangerous diseases in the body. Harmful pesticides are being used in farming. Recently, an international research has come out in which it has been said that the risk of getting some types of cancer can increase by 150 percent in people living in areas where pesticides are used more. Apart from this, eating fruits, vegetables and grains containing pesticides can also be harmful for health. Cancer surgeon Dr. Jayesh Sharma told whether pesticides and insecticides can really cause cancer. If yes then how can it be avoided?

Raipur-based cancer specialist Dr. Jayesh Sharma said that pesticides affect two groups of people in different ways. The first group is farmers, who spray pesticides on crops and are more exposed to them than the rest of the population. There is clear evidence of long-term exposure to pesticides in such people causing cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. However, the situation is different for people who are exposed to pesticides only through food.

The doctor told that there are two types of pesticides. Old organochlorine pesticides such as DDT are now banned. These compounds persist in the soil for decades. Plants absorb them through their roots. These reach fruits and vegetables. Eating such fruits and vegetables can increase the risk of breast cancer and cancer of some reproductive organs.

The good thing is that now the use of these pesticides has reduced considerably. The pesticides used now have a life span of 3-10 days. Therefore, by the time these fruits reach our homes through vegetables, they are already degraded. Although no strong link has been proven between new pesticides and cancer, exposure to even small amounts over a long period of time may pose some risk.

How to avoid pesticides and insecticides?

First method- Wash fruits and vegetables in running water and then scrub them with hands. Soaking does not give as good results as washing with running water.

Remove the outer leaves of vegetables like cabbage. Wash each leaf separately, rather than washing the entire bunch of green vegetables like spinach at once. Pressure cooking, boiling and seasoning vegetables helps break down pesticide molecules, so it is important to cook food before eating it.

Second way- Take half a liter of water and add one spoon of salt in it. Soak the vegetables in it for five minutes and then drain the water and wash the vegetables and fruits under running water. Remove the peel from fruits like apple, guava and cucumber, as the outer layer contains more pesticides. Out-of-season fruits and vegetables have more pesticides, so try to eat seasonal foods.

Third method- Soak the vegetables in a solution of water and baking soda for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse with running water. Buy only the most commonly consumed fruits and vegetables. It contains less amount of pesticides. Grow vegetables like coriander, mint and tomato yourself in your home garden or balcony.