Mexican food doesn't sound so appealing anymore, does it? Not since the USDA released its study on pesticide residue in herbs.That flavorful cilantro is going to kill you.
According to Samir Assar, you shouldn't be eating that cilantro if you have a compromised immune system. There's been problems with salmonella tainting the leafy little greens.
The USDA has now discovered that pesticides that were never approved for use on cilantro being used on cilantro anyway, and showing up in the plant that people are eating. Makes the salmonella issue seem almost harmless in comparison.
While you might be able to wash away some of the salmonella bacilli, you can't wash away the pesticide residue. It's been going down your gullet for who knows how long, getting taken up by your body's cells and.....what's going to happen in five or ten or twenty years?
Unless you've grown that cilantro in your own personal garden, you might want to reconsider ingesting an herb that may contain chlorpyrifos, diazanon and quintozene in quantities exceeding allowed limits on the food products they can be sprayed on.
Out of 43 pesticide residues not allowed on cilantro, the herb was found to be tainted with 34 of them. The USDA wants to know why cilantro, of all things, is off the charts in terms of non-compliance with allowed pesticide use.
In the meantime, Chris Pappas of the USDA suggests we all grow our own cilantro.
Not a very comforting suggestion, is it?
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