1.   Pesticide levels in drinking water are already above legal limits in many areas.

2.   Another reader wondered if peeling vegetables reduced the pesticide level.

3.   Federal and state agencies found high levels of pesticides in nearby cranberry bogs but were unable to link the pesticide levels to the fetal deaths.

4.   For those concerned about pesticide levels, the alternative, not always an easy one, is organic fruits and vegetables.

5.   Imported produce generally shows slightly higher pesticide levels than domestic, and a somewhat higher rate of pesticide violations.

6.   More than half of the samples had detectable pesticide levels.

7.   The column on the pesticide levels in fruits and vegetables prompted readers to ask if washing, freezing, canning, peeling or cooking would reduce the pesticide levels.

8.   The EPA announced new rules for pesticide levels in foods and is expected to ban most uses of methyl parathion and a related chemical, used on fruits.

9.   But nobody denies that farm workers, both adults and children, are exposed to much higher pesticide levels than the general public.

10.   Test results indicating whether pesticide levels exceed what is considered safe for human consumption are expected in a week.