The Dirty Dozen Produce: Beware of Pesticides!

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has once again unveiled its 2024 Dirty Dozen list, a vital “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce”. This report serves as a stark reminder that our food system still has a long way to go in terms of cleanliness. Shockingly, nearly 75 percent of the non-organic samples tested were found to have at least one pesticide. Take kale, collard greens, mustard greens, hot peppers, and bell peppers, for instance. They were contaminated with an astonishing 101–103 pesticides.

Blueberries and green beans, which were added to the list last year, are still causing concerns. Alarmingly, green bean samples showed residue of acephate, a toxic pesticide that has been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use on green beans grown for food for over a decade.

Thankfully, the EWG’s report also offers a “Clean 15” list, identifying the non-organic produce least likely to be contaminated with pesticides. Choosing and growing organic produce is ideal, but when budget or selection is limited, these lists help us avoid the most contaminated fruits and veggies. After all, we all need more vegetables and fruits in our diets.

The 2024 guide is based on data from 47,510 samples of 46 fruits and vegetables, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) washing and testing these samples. They discovered traces of 254 separate pesticides, some of which have been banned by the EPA for ages. Across all 12 Dirty Dozen items, 95 percent of samples had pesticides. A significant 6 percent of green beans sampled contained organophosphate insecticides that can harm the central nervous system. The vast majority (over 90 percent) of strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines, and grapes tested positive for two or more pesticides. A total of 209 pesticides were found on Dirty Dozen produce. More than 50 of these pesticides were detected on 11 of the Dirty Dozen crops, excluding cherries. Every Dirty Dozen list food had at least 13 pesticides, with some having up to 23. Notably, kale, collard greens, and mustard greens, along with some peppers, had the highest number of pesticides. Despite being prohibited from use on green beans since 2011, 6 percent of green bean samples still tested positive for the neurotoxic organophosphate insecticide acephate. Meanwhile, nearly 65 percent of the Clean 15 list samples had no detectable pesticides. Less than 2 percent of avocado and sweet corn samples had pesticides, making them the cleanest produce. Just over 10 percent of the Clean 15 samples had two or more pesticides, and no sample from the first six Clean 15 items tested positive for more than three pesticides.

Among the top five most prevalent pesticides found on the Dirty Dozen this year, four are fungicides: fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, and pyrimethanil. These pose risks to humans, especially to hormonal balance. Fludioxonil was detected in 90 percent of peaches and nearly 30 percent of Dirty Dozen samples. This is concerning as it’s linked to breast cancer as it behaves like estrogen and can also harm male reproduction. Pyrimethanil was found on 54 percent of the sampled pears and may potentially block androgen receptors and cause thyroid disruptions. Animal research indicates that pyraclostrobin might be associated with liver toxicity and metabolic disorders. It was found on at least 10 percent of each produce item on the Dirty Dozen, with cherries and strawberries having this fungicide in about half of the samples. Boscalid was detected in more than half of cherries and strawberries and nearly half of blueberries. This chemical has been linked to cancer, thyroid problems, and hormone disruptions in animal studies.

Over the years, EWG has raised alarms about non-organic citrus, even though it didn’t make it to the Dirty Dozen list. In 2020, almost 90% of the analyzed citrus samples tested positive for imazalil, a fungicide that can interfere with hormone levels and is considered a “likely human carcinogen” by the EPA. The USDA’s 2019 testing of tangerines also found that over 95% tested positive for imazalil. This highlights the need to be worried not only about the quantity of different pesticides in our food but also the potency and danger level of these chemicals. EWG’s independent pesticide testing on citrus fruits revealed imazalil, a fungicide linked to cancer and hormone disruption, in nearly 90 percent of the samples. It’s crucial to note that the chemical was detected on peeled oranges at levels almost 20 times higher than EWG’s recommended limit to safeguard children’s health.

EWG’s focus isn’t just limited to fresh produce. In 2020, it included dried fruit in its rankings, particularly raisins. The findings are startling. A whopping 99 percent of raisins contained at least two pesticides. Even organic raisins weren’t spared, with researchers noting that prunes tend to have lower pesticide residues than both conventional and organic raisins.

In addition to the Dirty Dozen produce list, EWG also presented its “Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Chemicals: The top 12 to avoid” list. Since 2000, almost 99 percent of food chemicals were approved for use by food and chemical companies rather than undergoing proper review by the Food and Drug Administration. Many of these chemicals are associated with significant health risks, including increased cancer risk, developmental harm, and hormone disruption. These substances end up in our food due to a legal loophole that allows foods to be classified as “generally recognized as safe”. Here are the top 12 food chemicals EWG advises avoiding: potassium bromate, propyl paraben, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), titanium dioxide, brominated vegetable oil (BVO), artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, azodicarbonamide (ADA), propyl gallate, and sodium benzoate. Others to be cautious of include nitrates, nitrites, forever chemicals (PFAS), and heavy metals.

“Despite the clear link between pesticide exposure and serious health problems, a potentially toxic mix of concerning chemicals continues to taint many of the non-organic fruits and vegetables consumed by consumers,” said Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., EWG toxicologist. “Everyone, adults and children alike, should eat more fruits and vegetables, whether organic or not. A diet rich in produce offers numerous health benefits. But in the absence of effective federal oversight, consumers concerned about pesticide exposure can rely on EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce to make informed choices in the produce aisle for themselves and their families.”

Meanwhile, Consumer Reports conducted its own analysis of plastic chemicals hidden in food and discovered disturbing results. Testing 85 foods, including prepared meals, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, baby food, fast food, meat, and seafood, they found “notably lower” levels of BPA than in their 2009 testing. However, 79 percent of the samples still had BPA and other bisphenols. Unfortunately, the news was much worse for phthalates. They were present in almost every food tested, and the levels were much higher than bisphenols. This is concerning because, as Consumer Reports noted, “one of the most well-studied phthalates, called DEHP, has been linked to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, reproductive issues, early menopause, and other problems at levels well below the limits set by American and European regulators. It was the most common phthalate found in our tests, with more than half of the products having levels above those associated with health problems.” These toxic plastic chemicals were found in a wide range of foods, including sugar-laden beverages, canned beans, condiments, dairy products, fast food items, grains, infant food, meat and poultry, packaged fruits and vegetables, prepared meals, and seafood.