Coffee Behind The Scenes

By rkutchjm on February 10, 2013 • ( 0 )

One of my readers asked me if I thought drinking coffee had any risks with regards to residues from pesticides or herbicides. How contaminated is coffee? Does organic coffee lower the risks of the remnants that may be toxic to us in non-organic coffee?

Beware Of What You Can’t See Behind The Scenes

There are seven different major pesticides used to treat coffee plants. They are endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, disulfoton, methyl parathion, triadimefon and cypermethrin. There are 4 different categories of pesticide toxicity, from Level 1 (extremely toxic) to Level 4 (slightly toxic). Of the six pesticides mentioned, two of these are Level 1, four are Level 2 and one is Level 3.

Three major insecticides that have been used in coffee plants are Aldrin, Dieldrin and Heptachlor. They are all highly toxic and most are no longer used. Insecticides are able to contaminate the soil for up to three decades after the last use.

One more thing is that some countries don’t abide by the toxic chemical bans. Countries that were mentioned were Costa Rica, Kenya and the Philippines.

Roasting Those Beans To Perfection

Our protection is the roasting process. The darker the coffee, the more roasting goes on therefore degrading the majority of toxic residue lingering on the bean from pesticides and herbicides. The risk is low for any adverse effects of these toxic chemicals due to the roasting temperatures.

Look For These Words For Organic Coffee

Organic coffee is safer with regards to the workers in the field. Coffee is grown in very warm places and most workers find it next to impossible to wear all the protective gear. In addition, there is no toxic runoff into the environment. There is a much smaller chance that certified organic coffee has any toxic residue left on the bean verses non-organic. One study did show that 20% of organic coffee has some small amounts of residue.

Aside from speaking about pesticides or insecticides is something that makes an even bigger impact on your coffee drinking life. The subject of coffee filters. White coffee filters are contaminated with a chemical called dioxin. It’s a contaminant in the chlorine bleaching process that gives you a white paper filter.

Even If Sold In Another Town, Please Buy Brown

Purchase brown filters because there is no processing and they have no dioxin. An alternate would be a permanent gold or stainless steel filter. Only problem with the permanent filters is that they let through fatty substances that raise cholesterol. The paper filters absorb those substances so most don’t end up in the java.

Also, remember, the better your water, the better the ahhh of that coffee in the morning.