Carcinogenic pesticide residues were detected in eight strawberry samples randomly bought at Beijing markets and tested at Beijing University of Agriculture. (Photo/CCTV)
(ECNS) - Carcinogenic pesticide residues were detected in eight strawberry samples randomly bought at Beijing markets and tested at Beijing University of Agriculture, China Central Television (CCTV) reported Saturday.
Acetochlor, which is not included in China's approved pesticide residue list for strawberries, was detected in all eight samples, the report said.
The highest amount of acetochlor residue found was 0.367 mg/kg, six times more than the European Union limit of 0.05 mg/kg, while the lowest amount was still double the EU standard, according to Zhao Jianzhuang, a professor at the university.
Acetochlor is listed in the B2 category of potential pesticide carcinogens in the United States, and long-time consumption of food containing acetochlor can cause cancers, the CCTV report said.
Acetochlor is a weed killer mainly used in China on field crops, such as corn, beans, potatoes and rapeseed. China stipulates that acetochlor residues in field crops must not exceed 0.05-1mg/kg, and none of the eight strawberry samples violated that stipulation, however, Zhao said.
Residues of another pesticide, chlorothalonil, were also detected in all of the samples, but at a rate far lower than the national limit.
China has set a limit of less than 1mg/kg for chlorothalonil residues, and the highest amount of the pesticide found on the strawberry samples was just one percent of the national limit, with the lowest being only about 0.5 percent of it, according to the report.
