Pesticides certainly serve some function in society. They kill bugs, so we don't have to deal with them. And, they allow farmers to increase their yield because with pesticides, there is less crop loss due to little critters.

But, an increasing number of people are reporting that they have no tolerance for pesticides. They report that pesticide exposure makes them ill. Often, they complain of respiratory problems, headaches, memory loss, and rashes. Clearly, these people are all not crazy. There are too many of them, and they have similar complaints.

Recently, in fact, an agreement was reached which took a common pesticide, called Dursban, off the market. No longer with termite exterminators be able to use Dursbn in people's homes. Presumably, this was done because people are apparently becoming ill after Dursban exposure.

Due to the increased recognition that pesticides do not just kill pests, but some times make people ill as well, some companies have introduced products that go the extra mile in cleaning farm grown produce before we consume them. Let's face it, most of us spend five seconds, if that, rinsing an apple under the faucet and we think that is all we have to do to eliminate any pesticide risks.

Don't try to convince Charle-Pan Dawson (a/k/a Mom) that five seconds under the faucet is enough. Her company, Earth Partnership, Inc., is located in Orange City, Iowa and manufactures and sells Veggiewash. This product is designed to remove pesticides from produce before you consume them. It is one of the only such products currently available in the United States.

Dawson's own story is pretty interesting. She lived in Australia through 1984, where vegetable washes were commonly available. Upon moving to the States, Dawson learned that no such product was available here and set out to invent one. So, she went back to college, became a chemist, wrote a thesis on this subject, and invented Veggiewash. How is that for having her mind set on a particular goal?

According to Dawson, other contaminants are routinely found on produce in addition to pesticides. She told me that many of the persistent pesticides are oil based, and that is why her veggie wash is so necessary. Water alone does not get this kind of substance completely off the produce.

This point is particularly interesting. Acording to Mom, farmers demand pesticides that do not have to be reapplied everytime it rains. These oil based pesticides withstand rain. And this is exactly why washing with water, alone, does not do a thorough job.

To make matters worse, growers often coat their produce with wax or resin, which effectively locks the poison onto the produce. This combination of the fact that pesticides are often oil based, and then locked in with wax and resins, makes it even more difficult for water alone to clean produce. Hence, the need for a veggie wash kind of product.

Of course, home gardeners often use pesticides on their own vegetables as well. Which means that all veggies need to be adequately cleaned, not just farm grown produce.

I am not endorsing Veggiewash by any means. But, as we continue to learn about the harmful effects of pesticides, particularly on children, it seems to me that this kind of product might serve an important protective function.

Think of it this way, soap cleans your hands better than just water. It makes sense, I suspect, that a veggie wash product also does a better job in cleaning produce than does water alone.

At least, that's what Mom tells me. For additional information on this product, go to www.veggiewash.com.

Published: August 3, 2000

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