Contamination of food can begin in the production process. For fruits and vegetables, the major concern is pesticides. At a time when nutritionists are urging the public to down more fresh produce, consumer groups are claiming that pesticide use could result in tens of thousands of cancer cases over the next 50 years. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, use of pesticides -- fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and plant-growth regulators -- has more than doubled in the past 20 years, to about 820 million lbs. annually. Farmers say the chemicals are necessary to save crops and keep food prices low; even with...
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