More and more Americans are demanding food free of synthetic chemicals. But EWG's analysis of tests by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that nearly 70 percent of samples of 48 types of conventionally grown produce were contaminated with pesticide residues.
The USDA found a total of 178 different pesticides and pesticide
breakdown products on the thousands of produce samples it analyzed. The
pesticides persisted on fruits and vegetables even when they were washed
and, in some cases, peeled.
But there are stark differences in the number and amount of
pesticides on various types of produce. EWG's annual Shopper's Guide to
Pesticides in Produce™ lists the Dirty Dozen™ fruits and vegetables with
the most pesticide residues, and the Clean Fifteen™, for which few, if
any, residues were detected.
When buying organic produce is not an option, use the Shopper's Guide
to choose foods lower in pesticide residues. With the Shopper's Guide,
you can have the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
while limiting your exposure to pesticides.
Highlights of the Dirty Dozen™ for 2017
For the Dirty Dozen list, EWG singled out produce with the highest
loads of pesticide residues. This year the list includes, in order, strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, celery, grapes, pears, cherries, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and potatoes.
Each of these foods tested positive for a number of different
pesticide residues and contained higher concentrations of pesticides
than other produce. Pears and potatoes were new additions to the Dirty Dozen, displacing cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from last year's list.
Key findings:
- More than 98 percent of samples of strawberries, spinach, peaches, nectarines, cherries and apples tested positive for residue of at least one pesticide.
- A single sample of strawberries showed 20 different pesticides.
- Spinach samples had, on average, twice as much pesticide residue by weight than any other crop.
The Clean Fifteen™
EWG's Clean Fifteen list of produce least likely to contain pesticide
residues included sweet corn, avocados, pineapples, cabbage, onions,
frozen sweet peas, papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, honeydew
melon, kiwis, cantaloupe, cauliflower and grapefruit. Relatively few
pesticides were detected on these foods, and tests found low total
concentrations of pesticide residues on them.
Key findings:
- Avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest: only 1 percent of samples showed any detectable pesticides.
- More than 80 percent of pineapples, papayas, asparagus, onions and cabbage had no pesticide residues.
- No single fruit sample from the Clean Fifteen tested positive for more than four types of pesticides.
- Multiple pesticide residues are extremely rare on Clean Fifteen vegetables. Only 5 percent of Clean Fifteen vegetable samples had two or more pesticides.
Genetically engineered crops, or GMOs
Most processed foods typically contain one or more ingredient derived
from genetically engineered crops, such as corn syrup and corn oil made
from predominantly GMO starchy field corn. Yet GMO food is not often
found in the produce section of American supermarkets. A small
percentage of zucchini, yellow squash and sweet corn is genetically
modified.1 Most Hawaiian papaya is GMO. Other varieties of GMO foods are currently being tested. The USDA may approve them in the future.
Because federal law does not require labeling of genetically
engineered produce, EWG advises people who want to avoid GMO crops to
purchase organically grown sweet corn, papaya, zucchini and yellow
squash. For processed foods, look for items that are certified organic
or bear the Non-GMO Project Verified label. EWG recommends that
consumers check EWG's Shopper's Guide to Avoiding GMO Food, Food Scores database and EWG's Healthy Living app, which can help identify foods likely to contain genetically engineered ingredients.
Dirty Dozen PLUS™
Again this year, we have expanded the Dirty Dozen list to highlight
hot peppers, which do not meet our traditional ranking criteria but were
found to be contaminated with insecticides toxic to the human nervous
system.
USDA tests of 739 samples of hot peppers in 2010 and 2011 found
residues of three highly toxic insecticides - acephate, chlorpyrifos and
oxamyl - on a portion of sampled peppers at concentrations high enough
to cause concern. These insecticides are banned on some crops but still
allowed on hot peppers. In 2015, California regulators tested 72
unwashed hot peppers and found that residues of these three pesticides
are still occasionally detected on the crop.26
EWG recommends that people who frequently eat hot peppers buy
organic. If you cannot find or afford organic hot peppers, cook them,
because pesticide levels typically diminish when food is cooked.
The federal Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 mandated that the
Environmental Protection Agency tighten regulation of pesticides and
reduce the risks of pesticide exposure for children. The act prompted
the EPA to restrict the use of many chemicals, including organophosphate
pesticides, which are potent neurotoxins. Even in low doses, they can
impair children's intelligence and brain development.
Over the past two decades, organophosphates have been withdrawn from
many agricultural uses and banned from household pesticides. Yet they
can still be applied to certain crops.
Several long-term studies of American children initiated in the 1990s
found that children's exposures to toxic organophosphate insecticides -
not only in farm communities but also in cities - were high enough to
cause subtle but lasting damages to their brains and nervous systems.3,4,5
The EPA and some in the agriculture industry argue that restrictions
enacted after these children were born would ensure that contemporary
children's exposures to these pesticides from food are safe. But a 2012
study, led by Stephen Rauch of British Columbia's Children's Hospital,
found decreases in infant birth weight and shorter pregnancies among 300
Ohio mothers exposed to organophosphates during pregnancy.6
These pregnancies occurred after major organophosphate restrictions took
effect in the early 2000s. The study indicates that organophosphate
exposures must be further curtailed to protect children's health.
How consumers can avoid pesticides
Smart shopping choices matter. People who eat organic produce eat
fewer pesticides. A 2015 study by Cynthia Curl of the University of
Washington found that people who report they "often or always" buy
organic produce had significantly less organophosphate insecticides in
their urine samples. This was true even though they reported eating 70
percent more servings of fruits and vegetables per day than adults
reporting they "rarely or never" purchase organic produce.7
Several long-term observational studies have indicated that
organophosphate insecticides may impair children’s brain development.
In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued an important
report that said children have "unique susceptibilities to [pesticide
residues'] potential toxicity." The pediatricians' organization cited
research that linked pesticide exposures in early life to "pediatric
cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems." It
advised its members to urge parents to consult "reliable resources that
provide information on the relative pesticide content of various fruits
and vegetables." A key resource it cited was EWG's Shopper's Guide to
Pesticides in Produce.8
For methodology and references, view article source link: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php#.WbAUyoqQzBI