| Here's a story to will chill your heart. With the dust - and court cases - seemingly settled on the deadly melamine/baby milk powder scandal from late 2008, Shanghai Daily today reports that fruits and vegetables tested in cities across China were found to be: "laced with pesticides."
How's that again? Pesticides in vegetables? And all along Monsanto & all have been telling us that pesticides are safe.
The incredible thing is that the article in question was posted on the staid Chinese state media! The story pulled quite a few punches. Admitting that the Greenpeace China report had found "widespread traces of pesticides - including some that are banned" on fruits and vegetables tested in stores in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, it added - even more scarily - that "the key source of the problem may be produce coming in from outside the city, which is hard to regulate."
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Read that final phrase again, because it is chilling. Local food watchdogs in Shanghai have actually admitted that they are unable to regulate the safety of fresh produce imported into Shanghai from around China. Moreover, the report continues that some 50 different pesticides, some of which "have been linked to cancer and fertility problems, were found to be widely and heavily used in the cities studied."
Greenpeace China (yes, there's such a thing in China as well) said in the report that China lacks a comprehensive standard for pesticide use, "especially one dealing with multiple chemicals."
According to the article, of the samples tested, eleven different pesticides were detected on a sample of cow peas, including the highly toxic Methomyl.
If you haven't heard of Methomyl, here's the lowdown, from Wiki: Methomyl is a carbamate insecticide. It was introduced in 1966, but its use is restricted because of its high toxicity to humans. Its current primary use is on alfalfa for forage.
Pesticides, 1, humans, 0. The saga goes on.
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