A study conducted in KathmanduValley has revealed an alarming rate of toxic substances - many of them banned - in vegetables, fruits and crops grown in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Lalitpur. The study reported that 78 percent of vegetables and crops tested by scientists at Tribhuvan University's Zoology department, were contaminated with critical levels of hazardous toxins. The levels were higher than the acceptable daily intake level set by the Central Food Research Laboratory, a regulatory agency of the government. The study says farmers were often ignorant about the safe waiting period between spraying and harvesting the crops, and many were prone to pesticide induced illnesses owing to weak protection.