«It is practically impossible not to come into contact with pesticides in everyday life.»
Did you know that an apple is treated with pesticides for an average of 31 times per growing season? Or that you can come in contact with toxins on aircrafts? Pesticides are used extensively, but we know shockingly little about their composition.
Some 40 chemicals that are classified by the World Health Organization as »probably carcinogenic,« including glyphosate, are still permitted. A quarter of the pesticides on the market are counterfeits with unknown ingredients. The chemicals are used not only in agriculture; the second-largest consumer of herbicides in Germany is Deutsche Bahn.
For many years, Johann G. Zaller, an ecologist at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, and his team have been researching applied chemicals and their side effects on humans and the environment.