（免责声明：微信公众号“衡⽣活”中所有⽂章的内容仅⽤于信息分享。它并⾮旨在诊断或治疗任何疾病。这⾥的信息不能替代医⽣或其他医疗专业⼈员的建议。我们不做任何隐含或明确的保证，即此处描述的任何内容能治愈任何疾病。）
(Disclaimer: The content of all articles in this WeChat public account “Life in Balance” is to share information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any illnesses. Information here is not a substitute for advice from doctors or other health professionals. We do not make any implicit or explicit promise that anything described here will cure any illnesses.)
（Approximate reading time 3 minutes. 阅读时间大约3分钟）
所有慢性病的根源之⼀是过多毒素的侵蚀。我们通过食物，空气和皮肤摄入的农药是体内毒素的主要来源之⼀。
One of the most fundamental root causes of all chronic diseases is over-exposure to toxins. Pesticides ingested through food, air, and skin are a major source of toxicity to our bodies.
中国，美国，巴西和欧盟是世界上农业杀虫剂最大的生产者和使用者。这是联合国粮食及农业组织发布的农药最大使用国的列表：
China, US, Brazil and EU are the four biggest producers and users of agricultural pesticides in the world. Here is a chart of the top users of pesticides according to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations):
从1990年到2018年，中国农药平均年使⽤量约为140万吨：相当于每人每年约两斤。美国略高⼀些，约为2.5斤。我简直⽆法想象每年喂给我的孩子两斤的化学药品。当然，不是全部的农药都残留在了你买的生菜上，许多都被散布在水里，土壤里和空气中。但这本身也是非常巨大的问题，只是在以⼀种不同的方式伤害着我们而已。
From 1990 to 2018, the average use of pesticides is around 1.4 million tons in China. That roughly translates into 1kg per person a year. The number for US is a little bit higher, about 1.2 kg. I just cannot imagine feeding my kid a kg of chemicals every year. Yes, not all is left on the lettuce and got ingested, a lot of the pesticides are indeed dissipated into water and soil and the air. But that in itself is also a gigantic problem, and came back biting us in a different way.
让我们暂且忽略农药对水，空气，动物和整个环境的破坏，如果只关注它对人类健康的直接影响，它有着什么样的危害呢？
Let’s ignore how it could damage the water supply, the air, the animals and the environment at large, let’s just focus on the direct impact it has on human health. What harms can it cause?
官方机构告诉你食物中的农药含量完全在安全限度以内并不意味着它是安全的。你没有产生即刻的身体反应也并不意味着它是安全的。这些化学物质在体内的缓慢积累对健康有着极⼤甚⾄是灾难性的影响。你不会知道它会以什么样的方式显现出来，直到你开始出现症状，而不同的人可能会有着完全不同的症状。
The fact that you are told by authorities the amount present in your food is within safe limit does not mean it is safe. The fact that you don’t have an immediate reaction to it does not mean it is safe. The slow accumulation of these chemicals in your body can have huge, even devastating health effects. You won’t know how it will show up until it shows up, and different people could have completely different symptoms.
农药有可能损害人类的神经系统，生殖系统和内分泌系统。大量研究表明，癌症，阿尔茨海默氏病，注意力缺陷，多动症甚至出生缺陷都和农药的摄入有关。
Pesticides have the potential to harm the nervous system, the reproductive system, and the endocrine system. Numerous studies have indicated links of pesticides to cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, and even birth defects.
儿童对农药的伤害性尤其敏感。美国⾃然资源保护委员会的⼀份报告说，儿童白血病，脑癌和先天性残疾较高的发生率与早期接触农药有关。
Children are especially vulnerable to the harm of pesticides. The Natural Resource Defense Council has reported higher incidence of childhood leukemia, brain cancer, and congenital disabilities, which were correlated with early exposure to pesticides.
农达是⼀种基于草甘膦的除草剂，是世界上使用最为广泛的农药之⼀。 2018年，在⼀项具有里程碑意义的裁决中，其制造者孟山都对于⼀名学校地勤人员的癌症负有直接责任，因为没有警告其农达的潜在危害。孟山都被判处罚⾦2.89亿美元。2019年，孟山都因引起⼀对夫妇的非霍奇金淋巴瘤而被再次罚款20亿美元。
Roundup, a glyphosate based weedkiller, is one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. In 2018, in a landmark ruling, Monsanto was found liable for causing a school groundskeeper’s cancer because of the exposure to Roundup and for failing to warn him of the potential hazards. Monsanto was ordered to pay a fine of $ 289 million. In 2019, Monsanto was ordered to pay another $ 2 billion for causing a couple’s non-hodgkin’s lymphoma.
2.89亿美元，20亿美元。这些也许只是公司⽤来计算业务成本的参照。但你的健康值多少钱呢？
$ 289 million, $ 2 billion. These may be used by companies to calculate the cost for business. But how much is your health worth?
我是不是让你开始背感焦虑？那我们能做些什么呢？
Now I have officially depressed you. What can we do?
确实，农药的摄入不太可能被百分之百消除，但这并不意味着我们完全束手无策。除了使自己了解现代农业的不可持续性，它造成的巨⼤环境负担以及它对人类健康的影响这样⼀个长期目标之外，也有⼀些我们可以⽴即实施的方法来保护自己和家人：
Yes, it is impossible to completely eliminate the exposure, but we are also not completely helpless. Besides a longer term goal of educating yourself about the unsustainability of modern agricultural practices, the huge environmental burden it causes, and the health effects it has on humans, there are some immediate steps we can take to protect ourselves and our loves ones:
• 农药不仅仅只是存在于水果和蔬菜上，它还会储存在肉类⾥。蔬菜的大部分农药在它的表面，而动物则会将其存储在脂肪中。所以，除非你确定你的肉类来源是干净和安全的，限制动物脂肪的摄入。
• Pesticides don’t just show up on fruits and vegetables, it is in your meat as well. Vegetables store most of the pesticides on the surface, but animals store them in their fat. So unless you are sure the source of the animal is safe, limit the fat.
• 尽可能购买有机蔬菜，水果和草食的肉。有机并不意味着完全没有农药，它只是意味着比较少和不同种类的农药。当然，对于我们大多数⼈来说，有机产品过于昂贵⽽且有时候完全没有。这就是为什么下⼀点最为实际，最为重要。
• Buy organic vegetable and fruits and grass fed meat when you can. Organic does not mean zero pesticides. It just means less and different pesticides. Of course organic produce could be neither available nor affordable for most of us. That leads to the following most practical and important step we can take。
• 了解如何将农药最大程度地从蔬果上清除
• Know how to remove the pesticides from your produce.
研究发现，市场上销售的清洁蔬果的产品其实并不比自来水或其他⾃制方案有效。这里给⼤家讲几个简单的去除农药残留的方法：
Research has found that commercial produce cleaner is not really much more effective than using tap water or other homemade solutions. Here are some easy ways you can reduce the pesticide residue on your veggie and fruits:
1. 在10%浓度的盐水里浸泡：每杯水约加一大勺盐 （⼀汤匙）。
1.Soak in salt water. Use a 10% solution: about one tablespoon of salt for every cup of water.
2.在未经稀释的醋里浸泡
2.Soak in full strength vinegar.
3.在小苏打溶液中浸泡：每两杯水约1小勺小苏打（一茶匙）。
3.Soak in baking soda solution: about 1 teaspoon of baking soda for every two cups of water.
要记得浸泡⾄少15分钟，这样才能达到最好的清除效果。
Remember to soak for at least 15 minutes for the best result.
• 削⽪和使劲擦洗对于某些水果也非常试用。
• Peeling and scrubbing are also great for certain type of fruits.
• 了解什么时候值得购买有机。
• Understand what fruits and vegetables are worth buying organic.
EWG 是美国的⼀个非营利性组织，致力于保护环境和人类健康的教育和研究。他们会每年发布一个相当出名的清单，叫做“12种脏蔬果”，这些蔬果在生长过程中会使用很多的农药。所以这些比较值得花钱购买有机：
The non-profit organization dedicated to protecting human health and environment , EWG (Environmental Working Group) publishes a well-known annual list of foods that uses the most amount of pesticides called “Dirty Dozen”. When possible, try to buy these organic:
Strawberries草莓 Spinach 菠菜 Kale 羽衣甘蓝 Nectarines 油桃 Apples 苹果 Grapes 葡萄 Peaches 桃子 Cherries 樱桃 Pears 梨子 Tomatoes 西红柿 Celery 芹菜 Potatoes 土豆
EWG还发布⼀个叫做“ 15种干净蔬果”的清单。这些蔬果相对来说比较安全, 可以购买传统种植的：
EWG also publishes a list of foods called “clean 15”, which are relatively safe to buy non-organic:
Avocados牛油果 Sweet corn 玉米 Pineapples 菠萝 Sweet peas frozen 冷冻青豆 Onions 洋葱 Papayas 木瓜 Eggplants 茄子 Asparagus 芦笋 Kiwis 奇异果 Cabbages 卷心菜 Cauliflower菜花 Cantaloupes 网纹瓜 Broccoli 西兰花 Mushrooms 蘑菇 Honeydew melons 蜜瓜
我想强调一点：绝不要因为对农药的担心而不吃⽔果和蔬菜。即使按常规做法种植，饮食中有足够的蔬菜和水果也很可能会让你排出的毒素多于摄入的毒素，所以对健康的影响会是正面的。
One thing I want to emphasize is: pesticides should never scare you out of not eating fruits and vegetables. Even if it’s conventionally grown, having enough veggie and fruits in your diet will most likely result in removing more toxins than taking in, thus having a net health benefit.
