The villain was an appetizing green salad, consisting of lettuce, tomatoes, and a touch of dressing. Crops Exposed to Poison More and more poisonous pesticide chemicals are being put on our food. Three shipments were seized, but this doesn't tell the whole sad story of food poisoning First of all, only shipments destined for interstate commerce are checked, and only a small fraction of the total produce ever comes under the scrutiny of an inspector. They will not be checked at all. And as far as shipments across state lines are concerned, the Food and Drug Administration will be first to admit that, because of limited manpower, only a tiny fraction of the vegetable shipments in interstate commerce are checked.
Some students drink deeply at the fountain of knowledge.
Others only gargle. The contamination of salad vegetables doesn't stop with spraying the leafy portion of the plant. Medical researchers have discovered that DDT and other agricultural chemicals, such as fertilizers, applied to the soil remain there for many months, and are picked up constantly by succeeding crops grown in the fields. The poison finally ends up in the pulp of the vegetable itself. It is part of it and cannot be washed off.