It is common practice to wash fruits and vegetables before eating them. But the latest research reveals that simply washing with water can’t remove the harmful pesticides on these foods.
Experts at China-based Anhui Agricultural University used a highly sensitive film to identify chemicals that other tests failed to detect.
Tests on apples and cucumbers found that washing alone could not remove pesticides from foods that have been linked to liver cancer.
Scientists say the research results suggest that it is better to peel foods like apples and cucumbers than to wash them.
In the study published in the journal Nano Letters, researchers wrote that simply washing the fruit instead of peeling it may not prevent the risks of pesticide ingestion. Scientists believe that peeling the fruit reduces the chances of the chemicals in the peels getting into the stomach.
