Top 12 Toxic Fruits and Vegetables

How would you like a dose of 67 pesticides with your celery? If you’re eating non-organic celery, that’s the number of pesticides you may very well be ingesting. According to the 2010 edition of Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, the top 12 pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables contain 47 to 67 different pesticides per serving. This year celery is starring in the number 1 spot (up from number 4 last year), peaches moved down, and there are a few new contenders on the list.

I love Environmental Working Group (EWG), the hard-hitting and diligent nonprofit focused on public health. EWG analyzes nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the USDA and the FDA–they then determine what fruits and vegetables contain the highest, and lowest, amounts of chemical residue and present the information in a handy shopper’s guide. I love (love, love) this list, it is so practical and puts the ability to eat safely in everybody’s hands. It’s a brilliant workaround.

Shoppers can use the list in two ways. If you are unable to buy organic produce, avoid the “Dirty Dozen” and instead opt for the “Clean 15.” If you can buy limited organic, purchase organically-grown items from the Dirty Dozen, and continue buying non-organic selections from the Clean 15. Of course, in a perfect world we wouldn’t be contending with pesticides at all–but in this imperfect world at least we have some tools to help navigate around the n-methyl carbamates and organophosphate pesticides. (Did you know that some of the most commonly used pesticides today were originally derived from nerve gasses developed during World War II? Fun fact. Sigh.)

Anyway, by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you can lower your pesticide consumption by nearly 80 percent. So, at least there’s that. Here’s where to start, number 1 being the most contaminated:

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Cheryl B.

11:55AM PDT on Aug 31, 2011

wow

send a green star

12:08PM PDT on Jun 23, 2011

Our grocery store sells organic bell peppers...two for $5.99!!!!!
Two peppers! And they are packaged, so you can't even check to make sure the part you can't see isn't rotted. Yikes!

Sonny H.

2:27AM PDT on Jun 1, 2011

The one I like are in the top ten to avoid.

Coryl G.

9:41AM PDT on May 1, 2011

Unfortunately a lot of people believe that 'organic' means pesticide-free, but it's not. The USDA National Organic Program allows several pesticides. Not all pesticides are bad for us to consume. Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) is a safe organic pesticide that we can spray on our grapevines and eat the grapes right after.

Mary D.

6:51AM PST on Jan 8, 2011

I wills send this information to family and friends, thank you

Anonymous X.

12:43PM PST on Dec 30, 2010

Ruth R. We can all make a difference by voting with our pocket book. Buy the good stuff and don't buy the bad. If enough people do so then this is one instance where the market will adjust.

Of course this requires that enough people are informed of the facts. Spread the word!

Ruth R.

7:41PM PST on Dec 22, 2010

Nice, so where do I sign the next petition that will make a difference?

Leba M.

12:21PM PDT on Oct 29, 2010

I did not recognize, glam packaging of foods in bulk and have the opportunity, but I think it's a bit undesirable: wholesale food should not be on all packages. past four food groups, protein, dairy products, fruit and vegetables and whole grains. Today the difference is much, more fruit and vegetables, small portions of protein from beans replacing some animal protein and cereal, and keep your diet low-fat milk.

http://www.organicdelivered.com.au

Jonathan Y.

2:14PM PDT on Oct 22, 2010

Have always hated celery; now I know why!

But peaches? come to think of it, supermarket peaches are often hard an unappealing - I have tended to avoid them, too!

Peaches bought from the farmer's market here are delicious, sweet treats! Go organic!!