Which Fruits And Veggies Are Contaminated With The Most Pesticides?

Yesterday the folks over at USA Today ran a story about a study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that analyzed the ‘conventionally grown’ (I swear, that label is such a travesty) fruits and vegetables most and least contaminated with pesticides after washing and peeling.

The winners? Apples are the ‘dirtiest,’ while onions are the ‘cleanest.’ USA Today explains:

Apples moved up three spots from last year, replacing celery at the top of the most-contaminated list; 92% of apples contained two or more pesticides.

“We think what’s happening to apples is more pesticides and fungicides are being applied after the harvest so the fruit can have a longer shelf life,” says EWG analyst Sonya Lunder. “Pesticides might be in small amounts, but we don’t know what the subtle, long-term effects of many of these pesticides are yet”…

Pesticides are known to be toxic to the nervous system, cause cancer, disrupt hormones and cause brain damage in children. Pregnant women are advised to avoid foods containing pesticides.

Yikes. But it sounds like there’s hope for those who’d still rather buy food grown with pesticides – according to EWG, by eating five servings of fruits and vegetables from the clean list, you can lower your pesticide intake up to 92%.

Alternatively, you could just like, buy organic food.