Vegetables are high in pesticides, how to stay healthy?

 Vegetables are high in pesticides, how to stay healthy?

It is now difficult to imagine vegetables without pesticides. However, you can make them pesticide-free in three ways.

A report on May 8 confirmed that more than 99.08 percent organophosphate pesticides were found in Rayo vegetables at the Kalimati vegetable market.

Doctors have said that organophosphate pesticides, when consumed for a long time, affect the nervous system and negatively affect memory, attention, and behavior.

Although the government has banned 27 dangerous pesticides, experts from the Ministry of Agriculture have said that the misuse of pesticides has increased due to weak implementation and lack of training for farmers.

Kathmandu. Doctors say, ‘Eat vegetables to stay healthy’

Laboratory report says, ‘Vegetables are high in pesticides.’

Consumers are in a dilemma. Does eating vegetables make you healthy or sick? Does it provide fiber, vitamins, and other micronutrients or does it cause health-threatening disorders?

Consumers are in a dilemma. Does eating vegetables make you healthy or sick? Does it provide fiber, vitamins and other micronutrients or does it cause health-damaging disorders?

Is it safe to eat vegetables?

The answer to this is not very satisfactory. The data showing that excessive amounts of pesticides were found in vegetables brought for sale at the country's largest vegetable wholesale market, Kalimati, has cast doubt on this.

In recent days, there have been reports that many pesticides have been found in mustard greens. Public health experts say that the frequent detection of pesticides in vegetables that should be eaten regularly to improve health is a serious challenge for public health.

What does the data say?

The monitoring team report released by the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Committee on May 8 confirmed that more than 99.08 percent of organophosphate pesticides were found in mustard greens.

Less than a week later, the committee's next report on 11th Push revealed that 74.72 percent more organophosphate pesticides were found in Rayo greens. Earlier, reports of high pesticide levels in vegetables such as broccoli and bitter gourd had been coming in repeatedly.

A review published in 2025 analyzed the monitoring of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables in Nepal. It provides an in-depth analysis of current pesticide use, monitoring efforts, and laxity in regulations.

Pesticides in fruits and vegetables: Now it is time to take serious measures

Residues below 35 percent are considered safe. While levels between 35 and 45 percent are considered edible only after a waiting period. But this limit is being violated repeatedly in Nepal.

These figures clearly show that Kalimati Market has become a hub from where lakhs of kilos of vegetables reach the valley every day. And, unfortunately, the pesticide residues in those same vegetables are finally reaching the consumer's plate in the form of a mild poison.

Limited monitoring and uncontrolled pesticide use

Limited monitoring and uncontrolled pesticide use seem to have exacerbated this problem. According to Dr. Dilliram Sharma, retired Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and pesticide expert, pesticides are necessary and are used worldwide. But misuse is more common in Nepal.

‘In Japan, the health impact of using 12 kg per hectare is low because they follow the ‘grace period’ (the rule of how many days after spraying and how much to apply),’ says Dr. Sharma. ‘In our country, we spray today and harvest tomorrow.’

He says that this is why people are now claiming that the vegetables that Kathmandu residents eat are unfit for consumption.

Dr. Sharma says that he started monitoring in Kalimati in 2073-74 and that the aim was to make farmers aware. But now that he has retired, he complains that there has been no continuity in providing training.

He complains that monitoring has now become only a show-off. “At that time, our aim was to train farmers on how much pesticide to use,” says Dr. Sharma, “but the aim of teaching farmers has been lost.

The government should provide training through local bodies.” According to him, farmers use excessive pesticides to control pests quickly and cheaply. There is a tendency to spray at the last minute to get a good price in the market.

Will vegetables not grow without pesticides?

Consumers are afraid to buy vegetables when they hear news that pesticides are found in vegetables. Sharma says that it will be difficult to grow vegetables without using pesticides due to climate change.

New insects are attacking vegetables. He says that using pesticides at will to kill these insects is a problem. He says that due to lack of knowledge among farmers, they use strong pesticides even for insects that can be killed by ordinary pesticides.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the lack of knowledge about the safe use and storage of pesticides in developing countries has increased the problem.

According to the data of the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, pesticide imports in Nepal are increasing every year. In recent years, Nepal has imported more than 1,100 tons of pesticides, a large part of which is used in vegetables. There is a data of 1,183 tons imported in 2023-24.

Government lab recognizes organophosphates, not other pesticides

The only ones seen on the surface today are organophosphates. There may be many such pesticides that are beyond our eyes, says Sharma. According to him, Kalimati's machine only tests organophosphates and carbamates.

Carbamate pesticides are not available in Nepal now. Earlier, 70 percent of those who used pesticides used organophosphates. But now this rate has reduced to 25-30 percent. Apart from that, He clarified that the government's machine does not recognize the new pesticide that has been detected.

What does it mean to say that 99 percent of the pesticide has been detected?

According to Sharma, 99 percent is not the amount of pesticide, but the residue level. Up to 34 percent is safe, and if the machine shows these pesticides above 45 percent, it is considered unsuitable.

Anything more than 30 percent is a new pesticide. Therefore, it is a message that there may be other pesticides that are harmful to the body. There is a formula for testing pesticides, up to 34 percent is edible, if 45 percent is edible after 7 days, if it is found above that, it is considered unsuitable.

Farmers are not trained, only monitoring

Sharma says that the main reason why farmers use pesticides indiscriminately on vegetables is their lack of good knowledge about it. He says that since it is not necessary to provide good training to farmers, the tendency to only monitor will not provide a solution.

Sharma said that whenever he visits a region where pesticides are found on vegetables, he arranges to provide training on pesticide use to farmers in that area. “All of this has disappeared. So, now all that is being done is to check pesticides and keep quiet, and remove weeds,” he says.

There are various laws for pesticide management in Nepal. The Pesticide Act, 2048 BS, regulates the import, export, production, use, purchase and sale of pesticides. It is prohibited to import and use pesticides other than those listed in it.

Also read: ‘Hold’ after green beans found in black soil become inedible

The government has banned 27 dangerous pesticides, but implementation is weak. There is no readiness in regulation. The pesticide registration process is weak, and farmers lack training. Sharma says that the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center is functioning, but there are not enough labs.

What do doctors say?

Doctors say that the level of pesticides found in vegetables in Nepal poses a major threat to public health. They say that poisonous vegetables are slow poisons.

It gradually damages health. This risk is doubled in children.

According to Prof. Dr. Rajiv Jha, a neurosurgeon at Bir Hospital, consuming such pesticides for a long time causes symptoms such as headaches, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, and burning of the skin and eyes in the short term. Long-term exposure affects the nerves and other parts.

‘If we continue to consume organophosphate pesticides for a long time, they block the ‘acetylcholine’ enzyme,’ says Dr. Jha, ‘Acetylcholine is an enzyme that controls the messenger substances in our nerves. When this enzyme is blocked, the nervous system becomes overactive and problems appear in the brain and body. This is why the nervous system becomes overstimulated and affects the brain.’

‘If we continue to consume organophosphate pesticides for a long time, they block the ‘acetylcholine’ enzyme,’ says Dr. Jha, ‘Acetylcholine is an enzyme that controls the messenger substances in our nerves. When this enzyme is blocked, the nervous system becomes overactive and problems appear in the brain and body. This is why the nervous system becomes overstimulated and affects the brain.’

According to him, long-term exposure has been shown to have a negative impact on memory, attention, behavior and neurodevelopment. There is also evidence of learning problems in children and an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases in adults. Neurodegenerative diseases are diseases in which the cells of the brain and nervous system are gradually destroyed.

Another neurologist, Dr. Vivek Singh, also agrees.

Dr. According to Singh, organophosphates can affect the nervous system and cause problems such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness, tremors, loss of balance, reduced vision and sensitivity, sleep problems, mental stress, memory loss and attention deficit.

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Prolonged consumption increases the risk of brain diseases including Alzheimer's, says Dr. Singh. According to him, a study conducted on 4,000 children in California, USA, found that pesticides significantly increased the risk of asthma in children.

"Not only that, but they can also cause respiratory problems, muscle weakness, long-term effects such as hormonal imbalance, reproductive problems and developmental disorders in children," he says. "Therefore, the government should pay attention to this matter sooner rather than later."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), such pesticides can cause nerve damage, kidney failure, lung disease, mental problems and even cancer. Children, pregnant women and farmers are especially at risk.

Cancer risk

According to Dr. Singh, such pesticides are one of the various causes of cancer. The pesticides used in vegetables, arsenic, ethylene oxide and lindane, have been classified as Group 1 carcinogens. A carcinogen is a substance that has the potential to cause cancer.

Studies have also shown that organophosphate pesticides (malathion, diazinon, chlorpyrifos) can increase the risk of cancer.

The IRAC under the World Health Organization has considered malathion and diazinon as possible carcinogens (Group 2A), especially linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and prostate cancer. How to distinguish vegetables that are poisonous? Dr. Sharma's answer is as follows.

It is difficult to distinguish whether vegetables contain pesticides or not in a simple way, because it is not known by sight or smell. But there are some signs and measures Which can protect us from potential risks.

— Be suspicious of vegetables that look unnaturally bright and fresh. Vegetables that have not been eaten by insects or are not stained may contain more pesticides.

— Be suspicious if there is a white powder-like layer on leafy vegetables (beans, spinach).

How is it safe to eat vegetables that have been contaminated with pesticides?

It is now difficult to imagine vegetables without pesticides. However, there are three ways to make them pesticide-free and eat them yourself.

For example:

— If you rinse them three times under a running tap with good speed, 60 percent of the pesticides will be removed.

— If you soak ten grams of vinegar in one liter of water for 15 minutes, drain them, and eat them, 80 percent of the pesticides will be removed.

— If you can throw away the peel of the vegetable, 80 to 90 percent of the pesticides will be removed even when you throw them away. Because most of the pesticides are in the peel.

— Some pesticides will be destroyed when you wash them properly, peel them, or cook them.

What are the measures to control pesticides?

According to Sharma, the import and sale of banned pesticides can be stopped. In Nepal, 50-60 percent of pesticides in the organophosphate group are banned, but implementation is weak. Testing can be increased in all provinces by establishing more labs.

Similarly, experts say that this can be avoided by increasing daily testing in markets like Kalimati, destroying vegetables contaminated with pesticides, and taking action against the culprits.

Another main solution, he says, is to make farmers aware of this and provide alternatives to pesticides.