The number of different pesticides to which the Israeli public is exposed continues to increase every year, while around the world, the use of pesticides is on the decline, a Health Ministry on pesticide use in Israel has shown.
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Meanwhile, Israel's State Comptroller reported in May that 113 pesticides banned in Europe and the United States are still approved for use in Israel.
Pesticides have been linked in numerous studies to the development of serious diseases such as cancer, particularly non-Hodgkin lymphoma - a disease whose incidence in Israel is among the highest in the world.
The highest pesticide residues are found in mint - with 63%, and parsley and beet leaves - each with 57%.
According to a Ynet investigation into the use of pesticides, it was also found that criticism of the Agriculture Ministry's treatment of pesticides has been ongoing for decades.
One example of this is the Standards Law, which aims to regulate farmers and identify irregularities in pesticide use. Even today, 11 years after the law was passed, it hasn't been enforced in practice because the Agriculture Ministry has yet to draw up the regulations.
Despite recommendations from the Health Ministry to adopt stricter European regulations regarding the use of pesticides, in order to significantly reduce the exposure of Israelis to various harmful substances, the Agriculture Ministry still refuses to adopt the Health Ministry's views.