Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Oct; 87(19): 7777–7781.
Dietary pesticides (99.99% all natural).
B N Ames, M Profet, and L S Gold
Abstract
The toxicological significance of exposures to synthetic chemicals in food is examined in relation to the exposures to naturally occurring chemicals in foods. The authors found that 99.99% (by weight) of the pesticides in the American diet are chemicals that plants produce to defend themselves. 52 natural pesticides have been tested in high-dose animal cancer tests, and about half (27) are found to be rodent carcinogens. These 27 pesticides are present in many common foods. The authors conclude that both natural and synthetic chemicals are equally likely to be variables causing cancer in animals. The authors also conclude that at the low doses of most human exposures the comparative hazards of synthetic pesticide residues are insignificant.
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
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