A young visionary from Snellville, Georgia, is redefining what it means to be a scientist. Sirish Subash, a 9th grader, has claimed the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” and the $25,000 grand prize at the 3M Young Scientist Challenge for an invention that promises to shift how we think about food safety. His creation?
A handheld device that can detect pesticide residues on produce, a solution to a problem that has been lurking beneath the surface of our daily meals.
Driven by a simple yet profound curiosity, Sirish’s journey began with a question many of us have likely heard before: Does washing fruits and vegetables actually make them safe? His mother’s reminder to always wash fruit sparked this inquiry, and, in the spirit of true scientific exploration, he dug deeper, uncovering a startling truth.
Research shows that about 70% of produce carries pesticide residues, linked to potential health risks like cancer and Alzheimer’s. But standard washing methods barely scratch the surface. As CE has covered in the past, an organic diet significantly reduces urinary pesticide levels in children & adults, showing that pesticides sprayed on food end up inside us even when we wash food.
“If we could detect them,” he thought, “we could avoid consuming them and reduce these risks.” With that, Sirish began building his tool, which he named PestiSCAND. The device uses spectrophotometry, an impressive technology that reads light waves reflected from produce to identify chemical residues.
PestiSCAND’s AI-based sensor then analyzes this light, detecting pesticide traces with over 85% accuracy, a breakthrough in both efficiency and accessibility.
Sirish tested the device on over 12,000 samples—apples, spinach, strawberries, and tomatoes. The prototype met all expectations, and he’s already working to refine it with a target price of just $20 per unit. His dream? To bring PestiSCAND to consumers by the time he starts college.
Supported by a 3M mentor, Sirish honed his device over four months. At the final competition in Minnesota, he stood out among nine other young scientists, securing his title and the admiration of onlookers, including 3M’s chief public affairs officer, Torie Clarke, who called the finalists “inspiring examples of creativity and purpose-driven innovation.”
With an eye on MIT and a passion for physics and engineering, Sirish plans to invest his winnings in his future education. He’s already had a taste of the big leagues, sharing his insights in an interview with the New York Stock Exchange before ringing the opening bell.
At just 15, he’s showing us that the next generation of changemakers is already hard at work, turning curiosity into impact and asking us to rethink the world around us.
More On Pesticides
It’s also noteworthy to mention that a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition carried out a meta-analysis based on 343 peer-reviewed publications that indicate “statistically significant and meaningful differences in composition between organic and non-organic crops/crop based foods.” The study found that
The study found that Phenolic acids are 19% higher in organic foods, Flavanones are 69% higher in organic foods (linked to reduced risk of several age-related chronic diseases), Stilbenes are 28% higher in organic foods, Flavones are 26% higher in organic foods, Flavonol is 50% higher in organic foods and Anthocyanins are 51% higher in organic foods.
Apart from nutritional content, the study also measured for concentrations of the toxic metal Cadmium (Cd), finding that in conventional foods, “significantly higher concentrations” were found. Conventional foods appear to have nearly 50 percent more of this heavy metal than organic foods. Furthermore, significant differences were also detected for other minerals and vitamins.
When it comes to pesticide residues on non-organic foods, the authors found that the volume of pesticide residues was four times higher in conventional crops.
Another study conducted by researchers from RMIT University nearly 5 years ago published in the journal Environmental Research found that eating an organic diet for just one week significantly reduced pesticide exposure in adults by up to 90 percent.
A 2019 study published in the journal Environmental Research titled, “Organic diet intervention significantly reduces urinary pesticide levels in U.S. children and adults” highlighted that diet is the primary source of pesticide exposure in both children and adults in the United States. It found that an organic diet significantly reduced neonicotinoid, OP pyrethroid, 2,4-D exposure, with the greatest reduction observed in malathion, clothianidin, and chlorpyrifos.
The researchers noted that all of us are exposed “to a cocktail of toxic synthetic pesticides linked to a range of health problems from our daily diets.” They explain how “certified organic food is produced without these pesticides,” and ask the question, “Can eating organic really reduce levels of pesticides in our bodies?” They tested four American families that don’t typically eat organic food to find out. All pesticides detected in the body dropped an average of 60.5% after just six days on an organic diet.
First, we tested the levels of pesticides in their bodies on a non-organic diet for six days. We found 14 chemicals representing potential exposure to 40 different pesticides in every study participant. These included organophosphates, pyrethroids, neonicotinoids and the phenoxy herbicide 2,4-D. Some of the pesticides we found are linked to increased risk of cancer, infertility, learning disabilities, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and more. (source)
The Takeaway
We’re in the process of shifting many things in our society. As CE has posited for the last 15 years, we are waking up as a society to many things, and our shift in consciousness will begin to affect all aspects of life from the way we treat each other to the way we design our society. It is opening up and transitioning slowly, but not without some chaos and disruption as we see happening all around us as well.
The trick is, can we stay in tune with ourselves, build resilience and hold a vision for a better world as we move through this time? Yes, but we have to turn our attention to that too. Check out CE founder Joe Martino’s 5 Days of YOU Challenge to explore how you can begin shifting your individual consciousness.
