Thread: Is Your Favorite Produce Packed with Pesticides?

Environmental Working Group releases an updated list of the dirtiest—and cleanest—fruits and veggies on the market
By Leah Zerbe Men's Health

Environmental Working Group (EWG) just released its 2014 Dirty Dozen list identifying the most pesticide-laden produce on the market. This doesn't mean you should stop eating produce in exchange for processed foods, but it does suggest that eating organic as often as possible is a top-notch way to keep chemical pesticides out of your body.

In fact, a 2012 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics said children are particularly susceptible to the impacts of pesticide exposure, including an increased risk of pediatric cancers and behavioral problems, along with trouble learning. Pesticide exposure has also been linked to all sorts of conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer, among others.

To come up with the "Clean 15" and "Dirty Dozen Plus" lists, EWG scientists focused on 48 popular fruits and vegetables and based their rankings on an analysis of 32,000 samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

To rank produce, EWG analysts use six metrics, including the total number of pesticides detected on a crop and the percent of samples tested with detectable pesticides. In the latest report, 65 percent of the samples analyzed tested positive for pesticide residues.

But the report goes beyond listing foods with the most pesticide residues and charges the U.S. Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) with failing to comply with the Congressionally mandated Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, legislation designed to to warn Americans of the risk of eating foods containing chemical pesticides.

"EWG's Shopper's Guide helps people find conventional fruits and vegetables with low concentrations of pesticide residues," says Sonya Lunder, EWG's senior analyst and principle author of the report. "If a particular item is likely to be high in pesticides, people can go for organic."

2014 Dirty Dozen Plus
Nonorganic apples once again topped The EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce report, making it the fourth year in a row the beloved fruit earned the unfavorable spot.

Kale, collard greens, and hot peppers were frequently contaminated with insecticides that are particularly toxic to human health, prompting their "Dirty Dozen Plus" status.

1. Apples
2. Strawberries
3. Grapes
4. Celery
5. Peaches
6. Spinach
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Nectarines (Imported)
9. Cucumbers
10. Cherry Tomatoes
11. Snap Peas (Imported)
12. Potatoes
+ Hot Peppers
+ Kale/Collard Greens

2014 Clean 15
It's not all bad news! These produce picks contained the lowest pesticide levels.

1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Cabbage
5. Sweet Peas (Frozen)
6. Onions
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Papayas
10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant
12. Grapefruit
13. Cantaloupe
14. Cauliflower
15. Sweet Potatoes


Other Important Findings

• Every sample of imported nectarine samples tested and 99 percent of apple samples tested positive for at least one pesticide residue.

• The average potato had more pesticides by weight than any other food.

• A single grape tested positive for 15 pesticides.

• Single samples of celery, cherry tomatoes, imported snap peas, and strawberries tested positive for 13 different pesticides apiece.

• Only 1 percent of avocado samples showed any detectable pesticides.

• 89 percent of pineapples, 82 percent of kiwi, 80 percent of papayas, 88 percent of mango, and 61 percent of cantaloupe had no residues.


"For decades, various toxic pesticides were claimed to be 'safe' … until they weren't, and were either banned or phased out because they posed risks to people," says Lunder. "While regulators and scientists debate these and other controversies about pesticide safety, EWG will continue drawing attention to the fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide loads.

Always.,Always wash your produce before eating it