Make a Note ! Fruits could be dangerous with farmers depending heavily on fertilizers and pesticides to get good agriculture yield, it is having a telling effect on health of consumers. Consumption of fruits and vegetables which are not properly washed could lead to serious damage to vital organs like liver, heart and kidneys on account of pesticide residue in them. With the advent of Ramzan month, the devout need to break their fast with fruits. If fruits are eaten without washing them properly could expose them to serious health issues, warned gastroenterologist’s.
“When fruits are consumed over a long period there is a possibility of small quantities of pesticide residue getting into the digestive system,” said a gastroenterologist. During the festival season, dates, prunes, figs, apricots, peaches, apples and pears, crane berries, blue berries, cherries and strawberries are consumed in large quantities and they do carry small amounts of pesticide residue. Doctors advise that these fruits need to be washed and soaked in water for at least 30 minutes to get rid of the pesticide content. “These days vegetables and fruits grown are laced with pesticides. If proper care is not taken before consuming these pesticide-laced fruits and vegetables, it will have a cascading effect on one’s health.
The chemicals will directly have an effect on the arterial system, liver, heart and kidney,” said Dr Satish Reddy, Gastroenterologist at Care Hospitals. “People think that washing vegetables or fruits for a minute would be fine, but this is a wrong notion and they must be soaked in water for about thirty minutes before cooking or consumption. There is lot of research happening in this field and very soon documentation would take place,” he added. The Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in the month of June issued an advisory asking people to take fruits and vegetables only after properly washing them to avoid diseases.
Prof Showkat Ali Mufti, Head, Emergency Medicine, in an official release, informed that they received an 18-year-old patient in coma state after he consumed about 1 kg of unwashed cherries. He said that investigations revealed that the patient developed ‘Organ Phosphorous’ poisoning. It was revealed that the pesticide was sprayed on cherries a few days back. However, the patient was saved by the timely intervention of doctors, he added. Dr S A Zargar, Director, SKIMS, said that a number of infectious diseases can be prevented with simple measures like hand-washing of fruits and vegetables to prevent the spread of various forms of gastroenteritis
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