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Eco-test analyzes Numerous toxins in the green - Partly highly dangerous pesticides in lamb's lettuce
Corn salad is one of the healthiest salads ever. It is rich in vitamin C and contains plenty of beta-carotene, folic acid, iron, magnesium and potassium. However, corn salad is often contaminated with pollutants, as a study of "eco-test" showed. Only Bioware received the overall grade "very good".
Hardly a salad is free of pesticides
The healthy lamb's lettuce "is one of the few green glimpses of winter salads", writes the consumer magazine "Öko-Test". In fact, it is a great option when it comes to recharging in winter. Corn salad not only provides more vitamin C and beta carotene than many other lettuce, but also plenty of potassium and iron. As a study of the magazine now showed, is hardly a salad free of pesticides. Among the pollutants found are those that are considered particularly dangerous.
According to the consumer magazine "Öko-Test" is hardly a corn salad free of pesticides. The experts also found other pollutants during a review. Only organic goods were rated as "very good". (Image: Marek Gottschalk / fotolia.com) Nitrate in corn salad
Salad needs nitrate to grow. The plants pick it up from the ground and use it for energy, the consumer information service reported. But high levels of nitrate in the salad are undesirable because some of the nitrate absorbed can be converted by bacteria into nitrite.
Nitrite can then react with proteins in the body to form nitrosamines suspected of causing cancer. However, the nitrate content can be reduced by removing stalks and rosettes, where especially much of the material is collected in lamb's lettuce.
High pollutant load
In addition, the salad should always be washed off to remove or reduce harmful substances such as pesticides. And the experts of "eco-test" have found plenty of it.
According to their own statements, the testers have purchased in eleven stores to check the average quality consumers can expect in each store. Three batches each were tested in the laboratories.
In the case of the total of 33 samples, the more conventional conventional lamb's lettuce was preferred by traditional suppliers such as Aldi, Rewe and Co. This came at the time of purchase in October, mainly from Germany. The organic products of Alnatura and Denn's came from Italy.
Only product of an organic retailer receives the overall grade "very good"
The overall grade "very good" was awarded only once: for the samples of an organic trader. In all four stores, the three batches examined were "good" overall. For the goods from the other six stores, the overall rating is on average "satisfactory".
However, almost all conventionally produced lamb's lettuce have problems with particularly dangerous pesticides. Although all products met the legal requirements, the conventional samples contain more residues with an average of around 0.7 milligrams of pesticides per kilo of salad than in the study of the CVUAS (Chemical and Veterinary Examination Office Stuttgart) of 2015.
"With one exception, all traditionally grown salads contain pesticides that are considered to be particularly problematic," writes the consumer magazine, claiming that it is based on the assessments of international institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) or the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Carcinogenic fungicides
For example, the fungal control agent iprodione commonly found in lamb's lettuce is thought to be likely to be carcinogenic to humans.
In addition, lambda-cyhalothrin, an insect repellent known to be hormonally active and classified as highly toxic by inhalation and toxic to bees, was detected in four samples.
In addition, four out of six organic lamb's lettuce contained the insecticide spinosad - at levels well above the bio-orientation level of 0.01 mg / kg. This remedy not only destroys pests, but also endangers bees, which is why the German organic associations heavily regulate the use.
Questionable chlorine compounds
Too much nitrate resulted in a 14-fold devaluation, rated as "elevated" levels using at least half the acceptable intake per day (ADI) calculated for a 60-pound adult and a 50-g salad portion.
Not least, some questionable chlorine compounds were found. For example, Perchlorate was used in a salary batch from Aldi Süd. This salt inhibits the absorption of iodine into the thyroid gland. (Ad)