Phosmet is a popular insecticide, the experts say.

Phosmet is a popular insecticide, the experts say.

Non-organic pistachios may be treated with phosmet, a Class II pesticide.

[27 pp.] doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2565.European Food Safety Authority; Modification of the existing MRLs for phosmet in various crops.

But there’s bad news: about 20 percent of the fungicide and 4 percent of the insecticide had soaked through the apple’s skin and couldn’t be washed off.

Because Phosmet was used almost exclusively there in such large doses.

It penetrates apples up to 80 micrometers deep, and phosmet goes 20 micrometers deep.

The researchers have applied two most common pesticides phosmet and thiabendazole to organic gala apples.

After 12 minutes, 80% of thiabendazole was removed, while 96% of the phosmet was removed after 15 minutes.

In the presence of NaHCO3, thiabendazole and phosmet can degrade, which assists the physical removal force of washing.

However, about 20 percent of the fungicide and 4 percent of the insecticide had soaked through the apple’s skin and couldn’t be washed off.2

Phosmet is a phthalimide-derived, non-systemic, organophosphate insecticide used on plants and animals.

Thiabendazole penetrated 80 micrometers into the apple while phosmet penetrated 20 micrometers.

In the presence of NaHCO3, thiabendazole and phosmet can degrade, which assists the physical removal force of washing.

After 12 and 15 minutes, 80 percent of the thiabendazole was removed, and 96 percent of the phosmet was removed, respectively.