ARSENIC ON FRUIT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3146, 25 March 1909, Page 3

ARSENIC ON FRUIT.

TOO INFINITESIMAL TO BE DANGEROUS. Some uneasiness has been caused of late by statements that have been published relating to the supposed danger arising from the eating of fruit that has been sprayed with arsenic -nixture. The recen*-. report of the death of a girl at laihape, which was allegedly due to hT having eaten a plum to which some spraying mixture had adhered, has naturally not done anything towards \ allaying that uneasiness. Inquiries on the subject made by an Auckland "Herald" representative at the office of the Government ■pomologist (Mr W. A. Boucher) elicited the information that the question o: the danger to human life was the subject of experiment several years aog. In the Journal of Agriculture and Industrie?, puilmhod in Sep tembtr, 1902, an arlicle appeared, for i-htance, in which the following statement was made: —"It is only when very late-- applications (of arsenic) are made, such as are utterly useless, that any of the poison is found upon the fruit when ripe, and then the quantities are so minute that they could in no way cause injury to the consumer. But, even though all the poison sprayed upon the apples, in making the nescesasry treatments should remain there undisturbed a person would be obliged to eat at one meal eight or ten barrels (I,loolb or 1,2001b) cf the fruit in order to consume enough arsenic to cause any injury." The pressman was informed that these remarks entirely applied to the ppraying mixtures now being mostly used, as recommended by the Department. This particular mixture is Swift's arsenate of lead. Experiments have proved that no bad results have followed the eating of fruits so sprayed, or the; eating by stock of hay or grass cut from beneath the sprayed trees. The amount of Doison left on a single sr,rayed apple is infinitesimal, and whilst the precaution of wiping such fruit, is not inadvisable, it is not necessary to obv'ate risk cf serious effects.