Explaining these requirements instilled more confidence in the process of getting a chemical from the lab to the market. DowElanco has summarized useful messages about pesticides into specific statements. On average, only one in 20,000 chemicals makes it from the chemist's laboratory to the farmer's field. Once registered for use, the pesticide continues to be monitored by the U.S. EPA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and regulatory agencies of individual states. According to the National Cancer Institute, there is no scientific evidence that ingestion of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables causes cancer in human beings.
Medical experts agree the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables far outweigh any potential risk.
A 40-pound child could eat 340 oranges every day for the rest of his or her life and still not consume the amount of pesticide residues found to cause health problems in laboratory mice.