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You probably know better than to eat a strawberry straight from of the carton without washing it. Fruits and veggies are often coated in harmful pesticides to ward off pests when they're growing. These chemicals are not exactly safe for human consumption either.

你可能很清楚，买来的草莓不能不洗就从盒子里拿着吃。水果和蔬菜在生长过程中常常被喷上有害的农药以抵御害虫。实际上，人类摄入这些化学物质也并不安全。

And while you probably rinse off your produce in a colander before eating it, new research suggests even a thorough wash with water isn't enough to properly get rid of all the pesticides.

虽然你很可能会在吃之前放滤网里用流水冲洗一下，但新研究表明，即使是用水彻底清洗也不足以完全去除所有的农药。

In new study published in the American Chemical Society's journal Nano Letters, experts found that simply washing your fruits and vegetables in the sink "cannot wholly remove pesticides" because they can actually "penetrate the peel layer into the pulp layer."

发表在美国化学学会期刊《纳米快报》上的一项新研究中，专家们指出，仅仅在水槽里清洗水果和蔬菜“不能完全去除农药”，因为农药实际上可以“穿透果皮层进入果肉层”。

That doesn't, however, mean you are destined to a life of pesticide-ridden apples and oranges. They advise to avoid eating the peel.

然而，这并不意味着你注定一辈子都要吃含有农药的苹果和橙子。专家的建议是不要吃果皮。

"The research posits that peeling can effectively eliminate nearly all pesticide residues, contrasted with the frequently recommended practice of washing," study co-author Professor Dongdong Ye said.

研究报告的合著者叶冬冬教授表示：“与经常推荐的清洗做法形成对比的是，研究提出削皮可以有效地消除几乎所有的农药残留。”

According to food scientist and author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered, Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, the pesticides left behind on the skin of produce are fat-soluble, which basically just means they aren't as easy to get rid of.

《150个食品科学问题解答》的作者、食品科学家黎国（音译）博士说，残留在农产品表皮上的农药是脂溶性的，这意味着它们没那么容易被去除。

"Most commercial [produce] operations already wash or rinse their produce for distribution and sale. However, effective treatments for removing the vast majority of pesticides [include] peeling, rinsing in chemical treatments, and blanching," Dr. Le said. "Other potential methods for reducing pesticide levels are pickling and fermentation, as microorganisms and acids help to decompose pesticides into harmless molecules over time."

黎博士表示：“大多数农产品在分销时已经清洗过了。然而，有效去除绝大多数农药的方法包括削皮和用化学溶液漂洗。其他可能降低农药水平的方法还有腌制和发酵，因为随着时间推移，微生物和酸类物质有助于将农药分解成无害分子。”

If you're not planning to peel your fruit and vegetables, he suggests soaking the produce in a solution of salt, a solution of baking soda, or a solution of vinegar. "[This] will help to remove many of the pesticides found in produce."

如果你不打算给你的水果和蔬菜削皮，黎博士建议你将农产品浸泡在盐水、小苏打水或醋溶液中。黎博士指出：“这将有助于去除农产品中发现的许多农药。”

"The waxy layers of produce hold on to pesticides and are very difficult to remove using water alone," he says. "Other agents are needed to effectively remove the waxy layers. However, peeling remains the most effective way to remove a large concentration of pesticides."

黎博士称：“农产品的蜡质层会附着农药，而且光是用水清洗很难去除，需要其他药剂来有效去除蜡质层。然而，削皮仍然是去除高浓度农药的最有效方法。”

While you're not going to die over one unwashed blueberry, long-term pesticide consumption can increase your risk of cancer and cause birth defects, fertility issues, neurodegenerative disease, and immune system disease, according to Dr. Le.

黎博士指出，虽然你不会因为吃下一颗未洗的蓝莓而丧命，但长期摄入农药会增加你患癌症的风险，并导致出生缺陷、生育问题、神经退行性疾病和免疫系统疾病。

Source:chinadaily

Editor: ZhangHanwen

Senior Editor: MinJie