Washing/cleaning fruit

You might not see them, but they’re there. The farmers have porta-potties with porta-sinks. Generally someone hitches it up to their truck and drives it to where the workers will be.

My career was growing germs, I was very good at it. I was around HIV and every STD you can imagine, and some you cannot! You name it I have seen it. We had over 800 strains of TB in our lab. We kept them alive for future study. Every time I had a mark, I wondered if I broke the sterile field? So glad not to be doing that anymore!. Even washing will not remove some pathogens. So not only wash your fruit, know where it comes from. Try to stick with domestic sources.
Sometimes the problem is not the bacteria but the toxins produced. Sometimes it’s the bacteria themselves.
As I get older I grow more and more of my own food, and what I can’t grow I forage. Impossible to completely get off the grid, but I’m trying as much as possible. Fish, hunt, do what I can to eat food with minimal processing. Of course it matters little now. If I consume toxins that will kill me in 30 years, well I won’t be here in 30 years anyway. Well chances are I will not. So I try to choose my battles wisely.

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I undertant that extended exposure to allergens, natural parasites or germs or other microorganisms might build resistance ( for example, in Mexico people drink water all their life that makes me sick when I drink it) But when I said I know it doesn’t work that way I meant with pesticides. I wouldn’t think long term exposure to small amounts of poison would make a person more resistant. In fact, I think heavy metals are cumulative where they build up over time, meaning the more a person ingests the worse it is for a person. But you are the scientist. And I know repeated exposure to bee sting venom (poison) does build resistance, so maybe you’re right.

They would get sick if they drank our water.

Well I can’t say for sure with pesticides, but otherwise it is true. Small exposures will give you resistance. As the example stated about snake venom[quote=“thecityman, post:23, topic:6482”]
I think heavy metals are cumulative
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Not all, but yes, some things will always kill you. Of course though the heavy metals Iron , copper we need to live, but don’t burn copper on fruit wood!, But ok to eat fruit sprayed with it (private joke).
Today it is dangerous with so many unknown chemicals being used. What I mean is we don’t know the long term consequences of exposure. Such as to Talcum powder which is looking to be dangerous. When i was in college I used benzene to clean my microscope. Today a huge no-no!
What scares me a little is exposure to plastics. I’m not convinced the stuff is safe. Hopefully it is!

I think much the same way- and don’t like plastics, or the stuff they put in thermal imaging paper (cash register receipts, which I handle for a living!).

I knew a woman that had her dishwasher hooked to receive cold or hot water. When see returned from food shopping all the fruit and vegetables where washed in the dishwasher.