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November,
2003 
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November Newsletter
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12 Most Contaminated
Produce
(Buy these Organic) |
12 Least Contaminated
Produce |
| Apples |
Asparagus |
| Bell
Peppers |
Avocado |
| Celery |
Bananas |
| Cherries |
Broccoli |
| Imported
Grapes |
Cauliflower |
|
Nectarines |
Corn
(Sweet) |
| Peaches |
Kiwi |
| Pears |
Mangoes |
| Potatoes |
Onions |
| Red
Raspberries |
Papayas |
| Spinach |
Pineapples |
|
Strawberries |
Peas
(Sweet) |
Report Card: Pesticides in Produce
Adjusting your eating habits can lower your intake of pesticides
-- sometimes dramatically so. Substitute organic for conventional
produce that is consistently contaminated with pesticides. When
organic is not available, eat fruits and vegetables with
consistently low pesticide loads.
An Environmental Working Group (EWG) simulation of thousands of
consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can
lower their pesticide exposure by 90 percent by avoiding the top
twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least
contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and
vegetables will expose a person to nearly 20 pesticides per day, on
average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to a
fraction over 2 pesticides per day. Less dramatic comparisons will
produce less dramatic reductions, but without doubt using the Guide
provides people with a way to make choices that lower pesticide
exposure in the diet.
Most Contaminated: The Dirty Dozen
Consistent with two previous EWG investigations, fruits topped
the list of the consistently most contaminated fruits and
vegetables, with eight of the 12 most contaminated foods. Among the
top six were four fruits, with peaches leading the list, then
strawberries, apples and nectarines. Pears, cherries, red
raspberries, and imported grapes were the other four fruits in the
top 12. Among these eight fruits:
 | Nectarines had the highest percentage of samples test positive
for pesticides (97.3 percent), followed by pears (94.4 percent)
and peaches (93.7 percent). |
| Nectarines also had the highest likelihood of multiple
pesticides on a single sample — 85.3 percent had two or more
pesticide residues — followed by peaches (79.9 percent) and
cherries (75.8 percent). |
| Peaches and raspberries had the most pesticides detected on a
single sample with nine pesticides on a single sample, followed by
strawberries and apples, where eight pesticides were found on a
single sample. |
| Peaches had the most pesticides overall with some combination
of up to 45 pesticides found on the samples tested, followed by
raspberries with 39 pesticides and apples and strawberries, both
with 36. |
Spinach, celery, potatoes, and sweet bell peppers are the
vegetables most likely to expose consumers to pesticides. Among
these four vegetables:
| Celery had the highest of percentage of samples test positive
for pesticides (94.5 percent), followed by spinach (83.4 percent)
and potatoes (79.3 percent). |
| Celery also had the highest likelihood of multiple pesticides
on a single vegetable (78 percent of samples), followed by spinach
(51.8 percent) and sweet bell peppers (48.5 percent). |
| Spinach was the vegetable with the most pesticides detected on
a single sample (10 found on one sample), followed by celery and
sweet bell peppers (both with nine). |
| Sweet bell peppers were the vegetable with the most pesticides
overall with 39, followed by spinach at 36 and celery and
potatoes, both with 29. |
Least Contaminated: Consistently Clean
The vegetables least likely to have pesticides on them are sweet
corn, avocado, cauliflower, asparagus, onions, peas and broccoli.
| Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of the pea and broccoli
samples had no detectable pesticides. Among the other vegetables
on the least-contaminated list, there were no detectable residues
on 90 percent or more of the samples. |
| Multiple pesticide residues are extremely rare on any of these
least contaminated vegetables. Broccoli had the highest
likelihood, with a 2.6 percent chance of more than one pesticide
when ready to eat. Avocado and corn both had the lowest chance
with zero samples containing more than one pesticide when eaten.
|
| The greatest number of pesticides detected on a single sample
of any of these low-pesticide vegetables was three as compared to
10 found on spinach, the most contaminated crop with the most
residues. |
| Broccoli and onions both had the most pesticides found on a
single vegetable crop at up to 17 pesticides but far fewer than
the most contaminated vegetable, sweet bell peppers, on which 39
were found. |
The five fruits least likely to have pesticide residues on them
are pineapples, mangoes, bananas, kiwi and papaya.
| Fewer than 10 percent of pineapple and mango samples had
detectable pesticides on them and fewer than one percent of
samples had more than one pesticide residue. |
| Though 53 percent of bananas had detectable pesticides,
multiple residues are rare with only 4.7 percent of samples
containing more than one residue. Kiwi and papaya had residues on
23.6 percent and 21.7 percent of samples, respectively, and just
10.4 percent and 5.6 percent of samples, respectively, had
multiple pesticide residues. |
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