Pesticide use leads to endocrine disrupters in French lettuce

An investigation has found that the majority of French lettuce contains traces of hormone disrupting chemicals, some of which are banned. Journal de l Environnement reports.
The French NGO Générations Futures released the results of an inquiry into chemical contamination in food products on Tuesday (22 September). After examining the contaminants in strawberries in July 2013, the NGO published a report this week entitled EXPPERT 5, examining lettuce, the fourth most popular vegetable in France.

The findings were less than impressive: of the 31 products bought in supermarkets in the French departments of the Oise and the Somme, grown on conventional farms, over 77% contained traces of at least two pesticides, and only 19% were pesticide-free.
The average pesticide residue was 0.549 milligrams per kilo sampled (mg/kg), but one product contained 4.467 mg/kg.
Among these pesticides, the NGO found several hormone disruptors. More than a third of the samples were contaminated by at least one of these substances. And of the ten most commonly found substances, seven are suspected of being hormone disruptors.