Like it or not, pesticides are officially part of the zeitgeist. These chemical compounds that are supposed to protect yields from insects and fungi are increasingly coming under fire for their effects on human and environmental health. And yet there is precious little information on the issue. As several of my colleagues can attest, it can be rather tricky to get one’s hands on figures concerning the impact of pesticide residues on public health. Ascertaining whether this lack of transparency is intentional or not could in itself go a long way in helping us decide how bad the problem is. In the meantime though, we’ll have to make do with what we do know, which despite not being much offers an idea of what’s in our plates.

According to the Agricultural Chemistry Division’s figures for 2011, the vegetables most likely to contain pesticide residues are: Chinese cabbage (“ petsai”), asparagus bean (“ voehm”), watercress and tomato.

By drawing from a sample of 442 vegetables taken mostly from farm gates ( 374) and market baskets ( 38), this department came up with some interesting fi ndings. Tellingly, nearly 10% of tomatoes tested exceeded the Maximum Residue Limit ( MRL), followed by “ petsai”, “ voehm” and other beans. On the other hand, eggplants, “ chouchou”, gourds, okra and fruits contained low levels of pesticides. The most prevalent residues were those belonging to metalaxyl, cypermethrin and profenofos. Other than being a mouthful, should we be scared of these compounds? Well, this is where a bit of deduction comes in.

Let’s start with cypermethrin. Classified by the World Health Organization as “ moderately hazardous”, this insecticide can induce a range of discomforts such as dizziness, nausea and vomiting. What’s most revealing though is that, according to the Pesticide Action Network ( PAN), “ the relatively rapid degradation of cypermethrin means that it is not generally found as a residue in food”. We can only infer from this that many planters aren’t respecting the recommended waiting time between the spraying of pesticides and the harvesting of their vegetables. PAN also alludes to a study establishing a link between pyrethroid insecticides with leukemia and lymphoid cancer. For its part, profenofos has been found to cause groundwater contamination in another study.

Before you envisage forsaking vegetables for life, it’s worth knowing that only 2.7% of the 374 farm gate samples contained excessive levels of pesticide residues, whereas none of the 38 market basket samples did ( even if almost 40% of them contained traces of some kind). Perhaps it’s time for the authorities to communicate clearly and transparently on this issue. Why not set up a pesticide observatory detailing residue levels for different regions? This would at least have the merit of getting planters to being a little less heavy- handed when it comes to chemicals. And in the process help Mauritians feel more love for their local produce.
 
 

Nicholas RAINER