New Delhi, March 10: "To save 108 million tones of vegetables that we produce from the pest attack, India applies 6000 tones of pesticides, about 15% of the total 40,000 tons consumed (while still 30-40% going down in pest attack).
"This mathematically comes to spewing 850 grams of pesticides per hectare (considering the gross area under vegetable crops at 7 million hectare), which is 70% more than the world average of 500grams per hectare", says a Toxic Links report.
The writer Rajeev Betne says: "Vegetables make up for about 20% of an average Indian meal. However, studies over the years have shown that a little over 200 grams of vegetables that an average Indian statistically gets on a daily basis, is a recipe of a toxic blend of over 40 deadly chemical pesticides.
"There are several researches in this context candidly pointing towards the fact that 50-60% of the vegetables we get across geographical regions are contaminated with pesticides, even with those banned several years back (e.g., DDT, Aldrin and Endrin) with residue levels often exceeding the maximum permissible limits.
"A 2008 document of AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center, thus rightly suggests India's pesticide use on vegetables as ‘alarmingly high'.
Why Pesticides?
"The inconvenient truth is that we need to roughly double our vegetable production in a decade time, which means growing over 5% every year on a compound basis. Significantly, we do not have the margin of loosing a bit in the pest attack; hence taking support of chemical protection seems imperative.
"As vegetables are perishable items they can't be imported as other staple food items (we import only 0.05% of our total vegetable production). This implies moving towards intense cultivation to meet our future demands hence more pesticides use.
"This coupled with consumer's choice for ‘fresh and healthy looking' vegetables, especially in the urban context, push up the unwanted and unethical use of chemicals like preservatives, colors, flavors etc.
"Thus from sowing of the crops till its final delivery to the consumers, vegetables are subject to multiple applications of toxic chemicals at various stages.
"Vegetable seeds are more susceptible to pests attack compared to the other food crops. It is often recommended to go for the seed treatment before they are sown.
"For example fungicides like, Captan, Carbofuran, Carbosulfan, Ziram etc. are often used to treat vegetable seeds to prevent them from fungal infestation.
The standing crop is faced with many infestations. There can be direct pest attack or there can weed growth eating upon crops' growth space. Both need to be controlled.
"Insecticides (used to control insect attack) and herbicides (to control weed growth around the main crop) become handy in controlling them.
"Atrazine, diuran, paraquat, 2,4-D etc. are some common herbicides recommended to curb weed growth. Some of them are non-selective and may destroy the off-target and beneficial crops/ species too.
"Insecticides are the deadliest of all and sprayed in larger quantities than other chemicals. Out of the total pesticides application, their share is 60% on food crops in India. Aldicarb, carbaryl, carbofuran, dicofol, endosulfan etc. are the most common ones.
"Chemicals such as gibberallic acid and alpha naphthyl acetic acid are used by many farmers to induce early growth in vegetable crops. During storage and transportation chemicals like aluminium phosphide, barium carbonate etc. is used.
"Apart from recommended chemicals to prevent crop damage, there are toxins like lead, chromium, arsenic and mercury making their way into vegetables mainly through contaminated soil and wastewater and air, on which they are cultivated. Especially in the suburban context where the vegetables are grown in the periphery of industries and thickly populated cities are prone to such contamination.
"The chemical saga does not stop here. Before reaching market, vegetables are subjected to several rounds of peripheral chemical injections.
"In recent times synthesized oxytocine and copper sulphate is being used to ripen and color them before market. There are a number of other additives that gives them fresh look, flavour, colour (blue 1,2; green 3 etc.) and possibly greater shelf life with chemicals such as sodium nitrate.
| Vegetable | Number of pesticides, chemicals and adulterants used |
| Potato | 20 |
| Chilies | 13 |
| Cucurbits | 10 |
| Pea family | 10 |
| Soybean | 10 |
| Tomato | 10 |
| Maize | 9 |
| Cumin, Ginger | 8 |
| Brinjal | 7 |
| Bhindi | 6 |
| Beans, cluster bean | 5 |
| Citrus | 5 |
| Banana | 4 |
| Onion | 4 |
| Sugar beet and sweet potato | 4 |
| Cabbage, Cauliflower | 2 |
| All Vegetables | 9 |
| Ware-house shops and storage | 6 |
"That was 1974 and this is 2010. The above statement corroborates World Health Organisation's estimates of 25 million sufferers in developing countries through various exposure pathways every year.
"Investigations show that we hardly have food items, especially raw ones like vegetables that are free of pesticide residue.
"Most of them are burdened with organophosphates chemicals, which are similar to organochlorines in their destructive propensities.
"Market samples of six seasonal vegetables in Haryana during 1996-1997 were monitored to determine the magnitude of pesticide contamination and found contamination in 100% samples with 23% exceeding safe limits.
"Exposure to chemicals used in vegetables are proven to be inducing hypertension, depression, memory decline, destabilisation of moods, aggressive outbursts, Parkinson's and asthma, eczema, migraine, irritable bowel and rhinitis.
"They can also promote cancer, birth defects and decreased fertility. In many cases, they imitate human hormones (such as oxytocine), which is dangerous. These chemicals can even transmit toxicity genetically, which is the real worry.
"Toxins such as lead, chromium, arsenic and mercury are known to cause organ failure, DNA disruption, affect nervous system and can cause cancer. .
"There are graver threats. Over a period, pest becomes resistant to chemical, which gives rise to several other problems such as overuse of chemicals and introduction of new and untested pesticides that may be more lethal than their older siblings.
"It is also estimated that over 90% of sprayed chemicals reach a destination other than their target. In fact, the overall cost benefit ratio is largely negative, considering environment and health costs", writes Rajeev Betne.
| Chemicals and adulterants | Vegetables and their products | Health impact |
| Calcium carbide Used for artificially ripening banana, mangoes ect. | Traces detected in fruits like banana | Consumption of such fruits leads to DiarrhoeaUlcers, Miscarriages |
| Mobile oil | Used to impart a shiny appearance to vegetables like brinjal, tomatoes etc. | Harmful for the Gastrointestinal and causes respiratory problems |
| Sudan I (Not permitted by the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954) | Red Chilli Powder | Carcinogenic |
| Malachite green | Used to colour parwal & peas | Carcinogenic |
| Sodium benzoate(Preservative) | Tomato Ketchups | May cause allergies and asthma according to the American Academy Allergy, Asthama & Immunology |
| Oxytocin hormone injection | Used to increasing size and freshness of vegetables like bottle gourd | Even traces are enough to causeAbortions, still births, sterility & kidney damage |
| Copper Sulphate(Blue coloured) | Used to artificially colour vegetables like Lady fingers & Parwal | Anaemia |
| Brominated Vegetable oils (B.V.O) | Added to lemon drinks to maintain theirCharacteristic cloudy appearance | Proven carcinogen |
| Carbofuran | Brinjals - To give a fresh purple appearance to them | Developmental defects and Cancer |
| PhosphomidoneMethyl ParathinMonocrotophos | Cauliflowers - To give a fresh white appearance to them, also used as pesticides in many vegetable crops | Developmental defects and Cancer |
