The Dirty Dozen List for 2019

Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases a report regarding which fruits and vegetables contain the most pesticides. The Dirty Dozen list, as well as the Clean 15 list that accompanies it, are great resources to help us understand when it’s most important to choose organic.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. It’s mission is to empower people to live healthier lives.

Each year, EWG conducts research to determine which types of produce contain the highest amount of pesticide residue.

“Even low levels of pesticide exposure can be harmful to infants, babies and young children, so when possible, parents and caregivers should take steps to lower children’s exposures to pesticides while still feeding them diets rich in healthy fruits and vegetables,” said Dr. Philip Landrigan of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. “EWG’s guide can help by giving consumers easy-to-use advice when shopping for their families.”

• In spite of its popularity as a superfood, kale is one of the most contaminated vegetables. Sixty percent of all kale sampled even contained a known carcinogen, Dacthal, which is prohibited in Europe.
• Both kale and spinach samples in the study remained high in pesticides ranging from 1.1 to 1.8 times higher in residues than all other produce.
• The most contaminated sample of kale had 18 different pesticides. That means that there could be that many pesticides in one single leaf.
• Almost all samples of spinach, strawberries, nectarines, peaches, apples and cherries tested positive for residue of at least two pesticides.

Be sure to always buy organic when it comes to the produce on this list:

Strawberries

Spinach

Kale

Nectarines

Apples

Grapes

Peaches

Cherries

Pears

Tomatoes

Celery

Potatoes

To come up with the rankings for this list, EWG analyzed pesticide residue testing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. You can find a list of all 48 fruits and vegetables they tested here.

Low concentrations of pesticides were found on all of these foods, so they can be considered generally safe:

Avocados

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Frozen sweet peas

Onions

Papayas

Eggplants

Asparagus

Kiwis

Cabbages

Cauliflower

Cantaloupes

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Honeydew melons

The study detected relatively few pesticides in sweet corn.

• Note that some sweet corn and papayas are GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). So although they are on the Clean 15 list, it still may be best to choose organic when it comes to these so you can avoid eating GMO versions of these crops.
• You may notice that many of the fruits and vegetables on the Clean 15 list have hard outer surfaces, like honeydew and cantaloupe. Be sure to still wash the rinds before you cut into the fruit, as pesticides on the rind can seep into it when the knife cuts through.
• Consider growing your own produce. By growing your own fruits and vegetables, you can make sure everything from the soil to the water you use to nourish them is 100 percent clean and pure.

To clean your produce, most studies show that rinsing it under running water for at least 30 seconds is as effective or more effective as using soaps. In fact, studies show that water alone can even remove pesticides that aren’t water soluble by running them off.

However, studies do show that vinegar is effective at killing bacteria. In one study, vinegar killed approximately 98 percent of bacteria on the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables.

To make your own vinegar wash, combine 1 cup of white distilled vinegar with 3 cups of water in a glass spray bottle. Shake well to combine, and spray your produce, rubbing gently to make sure it is fully covered. Finally, rinse the produce with running water for at least 30 seconds.

Be sure you’re not adding to the pesticides and bacteria on your vegetables by cutting them on a dirty cutting board.

First, sprinkle your cutting board with salt and baking soda. Next, run half a lemon over it, making sure you pay close attention to any scrapes or dents. Using a circular motion, rub the salt and baking soda into the board with the lemon. Finally, rinse thoroughly with hot water.

If you’ve been using your cutting board for meats, too, disinfect it with 3 percent Hydrogen Peroxide. Pour the hydrogen peroxide over the board and rub it in with a clean sponge. Let it stand for a few minutes – you will see it fizz as it kills germs. Finally, wipe it off with a clean sponge.

The water you drink is a great place to start. Did you know that:

• Some studies show that as many as 25,000 chemicals are lurking in most bottled water.
• Most medical professionals agree that tap water is safer to drink than bottled water?
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water more closely than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water?

Clean up your diet by drinking pure tap water from stainless steel water bottles that are 100% BPA-free.