New Delhi, Aug 10: Refuting that pesticide content in vegetables and milk was alarmingly high, a government laboratory said over the years their content had gone down and a study has found that no vegetable had pesticide residue above the safe limit. Analysis of 468 milk samples from various parts of the country revealed only eight per cent of samples had DDT residue over the safety levels (maximum residue limit - MRL), Dr D B Saxena, project coordinator at All India Coordinated Research Project on pesticide residues, told a news agency.

Fifteen per cent of samples had hexachloro-cyclohexane (hch) content above the MRL, he said. The studies were done in 2001. The pesticide content in vegetables and milk had gradually come down over the years. During the period 1991-94, about 80 per cent of milk samples were found to have both the pesticide residues above the safe limits.

A study on vegetable samples done last year found out of 529 samples lifted from various parts of the country, 64 per cent had some pesticide residues but none was found to have them above the safe limit.


Saxena said research over the years had shown pesticide residues could be removed from the vegetables and fruits by washing, peeling and boiling. Bureau Report