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From: york@mbcrr.dfci.harvard.edu (Ian A. York)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: "Organic vegetables don't use herbicides"
Date: 27 Nov 1994 18:24:16 GMT

In article <3b5igl$qgr@panix3.panix.com> stc@panix.com (Steven Cherry) askes for a reference for the following statement:

>In <1994Nov23.152452.5660@midway.uchicago.edu> thf2@kimbark.uchicago.edu
(Ted Frank) writes:
>
>>Not true. All vegetables have natural levels of herbicides and pesticides;
>>organic veggies often have *higher* levels of naturally-occurring
>>herbicides and pesticides, because of simple evolutionary genetics means
>>that the strains with the highest levels are the ones most likely to
>>survive the growing season without outside assistance. And on some
>>occasions, those natural herbicides are worse for the health than what
>>duPont provides.

That would be -

Rodent carcinogens: setting priorities. Gold LS. Slone TH. Stern BR. Manley NB. Ames BN. Science. 258(5080):261-5, 1992 Oct 9.

• and references therein.

It's worth adding that the conclusions in this paper (" . . .when viewed against the large background of naturally occurring carcinogens in typical portions of common foods, the residues of synthetic pesticides or environmental pollutants rank low") have not been universally accepted, but that the authors are respected specialists in the field of carcinogen testing.

Ian "not to be taken internally" York
--
Ian York (york@mbcrr.harvard.edu)
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney St., Boston MA 02115 Phone (617)-632-4328 Fax (617)-632-2627