By Meredith Melnick Tuesday, June 14, 2011
由梅雷迪恩.梅爾尼克提供 2011年6月14日 周二
On Monday, the environmental health activists at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released their annual report on pesticides in produce, ranking the "cleanest" and "dirtiest" fruits and vegetables, based on levels and types of pesticide residue found in government tests.
本周一,環境工作小組(EWG)的環境健康積極分子們公布了關于農產品中農藥殘留的年度報告,根據政府抽檢的農產品中農藥殘留的水平和類型,將“最干凈”和“污染最嚴重”的水果蔬菜排名。
Apples topped the list of most contaminated produce, jumping three spots from last year on the EWG's "Dirty Dozen" list. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey, pesticides showed up on 98% of some 700 apples tested. Coming in behind apples were celery (last year's No. 1) and strawberries.
在受污染最嚴重的農產品中,蘋果從EWG報告中“12種污染嚴重果蔬”名單上的第四位躍居榜首。據美國農業部調查,在700個受檢蘋果中,98%都有農藥殘留。僅次于蘋果的是芹菜(去年是第一位)和草莓。
The EWG's report, which it refers to as a "Shopper's Guide," also included a "Clean 15" list of conventional produce with the lowest pesticide loads. Topping that ranking: onions, corn and pineapples.
我們通常稱之為“顧客向導”的EWG報告還包含一份農藥殘留最少的傳統農產品“15種無公害果蔬”名單。排在前三位的是:洋蔥、玉米和菠蘿。
Certainly, everyone can agree that pesticides are generally not good for human health. Indeed, higher exposure in kids has been associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; maternal exposure has been linked with children's lower IQ; and excessive pesticide exposure can increase the risk of some cancers.
當然,人人都會認同農藥往往對人體無益。的確,已經證實,農藥殘留果蔬攝入越多,兒童越易患注意力不集中的過度反應癥;孕婦食用污染果蔬,孩子智商就會比其他孕婦的孩子低;過渡食用污染果蔬,還可能增加患癌癥的風險。
But it's not clear how dangerous pesticide residue in produce may be for the average consumer eating an apple or a grape. As my colleague Bryan Walsh pointed out over on Ecocentric, there are a few nuances that get lost in the EWG's rankings:
然而,農產品中農藥殘留對蘋果或葡萄的一般食用者的危害程度還不得而知。正如我的同事布萊恩.沃爾什在生態中心論中指出的,EWG報告中的排名忽略了一些細微差別。
It's important to keep in mind that the USDA found that just 3% of all the samples of produce, beef and rice it analyzed in this survey had either unapproved chemicals or improper levels of pesticide — at least by the government's standards.
美國農業部發現,在所有受檢的牛肉、稻米樣品中,據該調查分析,僅有3%含有未獲批準的化學物質或農藥殘留超標---起碼依據政府設定的標準是如此,記住這一點是非常重要的。
As the U.S. Apple Association also noted in a statement [PDF]: "Of the over 700 apple-samples that were tested by the USDA, the vast majority fell well below EPA approved safety levels. ... The [Dirty Dozen] 'list' does not pay attention to the actual levels of residues in the various foods which are within those tolerance (safe) levels, but simply states that residues were detected."
美國蘋果協會也在一次聲明中指出:“在美國農業部檢查的700多個蘋果樣品中,很大一部分低于美國環保局批準的安全水平……【12種污染嚴重果蔬】名單未注意各種食品中的實際殘留量其實都是在其容忍(安全)水平范圍內的,而只是強調檢測出了殘留。”
One thing on which nutrition experts, the government and the EWG agree is that the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh any risk of pesticide exposure. That means Americans should be eating at least five servings of fruits and veggies a day — half your plate at each meal, the government recommends — a standard that all too few people actually meet.
不過,營養專家、政府以及環境工作小組達成的其中一點共識即是,富含水果蔬菜的膳食對健康的益處比任何農藥殘留對人的危害都重要。那就意味著美國人每天至少要吃5種水果蔬菜---政府建議果蔬應占每餐的一半---實際上極少人可以達到這個標準。
Walsh writes:
沃爾什寫道:
We [should] all be trying to reduce exposure to pesticides and other chemicals in our food supply — producers, consumers and the government. But the number one priority should be to ensure that Americans eat their fruits and veggies — wherever they come from.
我們(應)盡力減少攝入食物中的殘留農藥及其他化學物質---農業生產者、消費者以及政府三方都要負起責任。但是最重要的還是應確保國人吃水果蔬菜---無論它們來自哪里。
If you're concerned about your family's pesticide load, the EWG recommends buying certified organic produce, which should be pesticide-free. Of course, that can get expensive. Alternatively, you can stick to the EWG's list of clean but conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, which includes such good-for-you foods as sweet potatoes, avocados and grapefruit.
如果您擔心家里水果蔬菜中的農藥殘留,EWG建議您購買合格的有機產品,是不含農藥的。當然也是非常昂貴的。另外,您還可以堅持EWG報告中的傳統方法養植的無公害果蔬名單,包括一些有益健康的食物如番薯、鱷梨和葡萄柚等。
Further, according to the EWG's calculations, people who eat five servings of "clean" produce a day and avoid the Dirty Dozen can reduce their overall pesticide exposure by 92% and reduce the number of pesticide types they consume as well.
而且,根據EWG計算,每天吃5種“無公害”果蔬、不吃“12種污染嚴重果蔬”的人,可以減輕92%的農藥危害,同時還能減少他們攝入的農藥種類。
The bottom line, however, is that you shouldn't avoid fruits and vegetables because of a fear of pesticides. If you swapped out potentially pesticide-laden fresh foods for a steady diet of processed foods, you wouldn't be doing your body any favors: processed foods, which are typically high in sodium, fat and sugar and low in fiber, are associated with a host of health problems, including heart disease and stroke.
不過關鍵是不能因為害怕農藥就不吃水果蔬菜。如果你把可能含有農藥的新鮮食物換作加工的固定膳食,對你的身體沒有任何益處。加工食物的鈉、脂肪和糖分含量特別高,但纖維含量很低,是導致許多健康問題的重要因素,例如心臟病和中風。
A full ranking of 53 vegetables and fruits, along with the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15, are available on the EWG website. You can also glance at the lists below:
在EWG官網上,你可以看到53種水果蔬菜以及12種污染嚴重果蔬、15種無公害果蔬的排行。你也可以先簡單看看以下排名:
Dirty Dozen:
12種污染嚴重果蔬
1. Apples蘋果
2. Celery芹菜
3. Strawberries草莓
4. Peaches蜜桃
5. Spinach菠菜
6. Imported nectarines進口油桃
7. Imported grapes進口葡萄
8. Sweet bell peppers甜青椒
9. Potatoes土豆
10. Blueberries藍莓
11. Lettuce萵苣
12. Kale/collard greens甘藍/羽衣甘藍
Clean 15:
15種無公害果蔬
1. Onions洋蔥
2. Corn玉米
3. Pineapples菠蘿
4. Avocado鱷梨
5. Asparagus蘆筍
6. Sweet peas香豌豆
7. Mangoes芒果
8. Eggplant茄子
9. Domestic cantaloupe美國哈密瓜
10. Kiwi獼猴桃
11. Cabbage卷心菜
12. Watermelon西瓜
13. Sweet potatoes番薯
14. Grapefruit葡萄柚
15. Mushrooms蘑菇
原文閱讀:http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/14/dirty-or-not-you-still-need-to-eat-your-fruits-and-veggies/