Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) is sponsoring legislation that
would lower the amount of farm chemicals on fruit and vegetables
that can be considered acceptable. And last week, Assemblyman
Lloyd G. Connelly (D-Sacramento) introduced a bill that would
require the state to consider children's susceptibility to
pesticide residues in setting allowable levels for the chemicals
in food. "Pesticides are clearly the most dangerous thing in the
food supply," said Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's
Health Research Group. "There is a very long list of pesticides
that are clearly shown to cause cancer. Why are they still
around and why does EPA take so long to get rid of them?"
Produce industry representatives, however, maintain that the
health risk from the legal use of pesticides is negligible for
both children and adults. "If farm chemicals are used in
accordance with the laws and regulations that exist, then the
residues that result do not represent a safety hazard to
consumers," said John McClung with the