It’s probably not news to anyone that pesticides have been shown to have carcinogenic and other adverse health effects on humans and that organic produce is the best choice for people and for the planet.

Mounting evidence confirms that many commonly used pesticides can suppress the normal immune system response to invading bacteria, viruses, parasites and tumors.[1] The immune system is the body's first line of defense and weakening its response can increase the incidence of disease.

 

A study by the National Cancer Institute identified pesticides as a likely cause of elevated rates of several forms of cancer among farmers[2]. Farmers are at higher risk for certain cancers, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, skin melanomas, multiple myeloma, leukemia, and cancers of the lip, stomach, prostate and brain. Exposures to a number of pesticides have been linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, while exposure to insecticides has been associated with leukemia, multiple myeloma and brain cancer[3].

 

A Center for Disease Control study issued in March of 2001 found a wide array of toxic chemicals in the bodies of American citizens, which cumulatively could lead to health problems.[4]

 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an organization with offices in Washington, DC, Oakland, California and Ames, Iowa. EWG works to protect public health by influencing public policy and by providing informative resources like the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the acceptable pesticide residue levels for fruits and vegetables, however according to the Environmental Working Group the EPA tolerance levels are too high. The EWA argues that not enough studies have been done to measure the effects of low-level and multiple pesticide exposure, especially on children and fetuses.

 

After conducting an analysis of the results of 87,000 government tests conducted between 2000 and 2007, EWG developed the ‘Dirty Dozen’ list of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables. Peaches and apples each had the highest number of different pesticides, nine detected on a single sample; strawberries and imported grapes were next with eight pesticides. Nectarines had the highest percentage of samples testing positive for pesticides, 97.3 percent followed by peaches at 96.7 percent and apples with 94.1 percent. Most shocking, the studies used to create the list tested produce after it had been rinsed or peeled.

 

EWG listed peaches, apples, celery, strawberries, imported grapes, lettuce, carrots and pears among the "dirty dozen" as containing the highest pesticide levels.  Those with the lowest levels were onions, avocados, frozen sweet corn and peas, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, kiwi, bananas and cabbage. (Download the Dirty Dozen)

 

The full health risks associated with pesticides are unknown and most have never been systematically reviewed for the full range of possible long-term health effects, such as genetic damage or impaired nervous, endocrine or immune systems[5]. Data for pesticides used in nonagricultural settings is particularly lacking[6].

 

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

The Full List: 47 Fruits & Veggies

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peach	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apple	93
3	Sweet Bell Pepper	83
4	Celery	82
5	Nectarine	81
6	Strawberries	80
7	Cherries	73
8	Kale	69
9	Lettuce	67
10	Grapes - Imported	66
11	Carrot	63
12	Pear	63
13	Collard Greens	60
14	Spinach	58
15	Potato	56
16	Green Beans	53
17	Summer Squash	53
18	Pepper	51
19	Cucumber	50
20	Raspberries	46
21	Grapes - Domestic	44
22	Plum	44
23	Orange	44
24	Cauliflower	39
25	Tangerine	37
26	Mushrooms	36
27	Banana	34
28	Winter Squash	34
29	Cantaloupe	33
30	Cranberries	33
31	Honeydew Melon	30
32	Grapefruit	29
33	Sweet Potato	29
34	Tomato	29
35	Broccoli	28
36	Watermelon	26
37	Papaya	20
38	Eggplant	20
39	Cabbage	17
40	Kiwi	13
41	Sweet Peas - Frozen	10
42	Asparagus	10
43	Mango	9
44	Pineapple	7
45	Sweet Corn - Frozen	2
46	Avocado	1
47 (best)	Onion	1 (lowest pesticide load)

 

Note: EWG ranked a total of 47 different fruits and vegetables but grapes are listed twice because they looked at both domestic and imported samples.