Strawberries: Conventional strawberries consistently top the Dirty Dozen list.The Dirty Dozen is a list of fruits and vegetables with the highest level of pesticide residues created by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to educate the public on food safety.Īccording to the EWG, the following conventional fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of pesticide residues ( 5): However, many experts argue that continuous exposure to pesticides - even in small doses - can build up in your body over time and lead to chronic health conditions.Īdditionally, there is concern that the safe limits set by regulatory agencies don’t take into consideration the health risks involved with consuming more than one pesticide at a time.įor these reasons, the EWG created the Dirty Dozen list as a guide for people who want to limit pesticide exposure for themselves and their family. food supply “is one of the safest in the world,” due to rigorous testing methods ( 4). The USDA Pesticide Data Program ensures that the U.S. Pesticides are tightly regulated by the USDA, and recent reports indicate that pesticide levels found on 99.5% of conventional produce are well below recommendations set by the Environmental Protection Agency ( 4). While the EWG claims that this list can help consumers avoid unnecessary pesticide exposure, some experts - including food scientists - argue that the list is scaring the public away from consuming healthy foods. The EWG states that this methodology “reflects the overall pesticide loads of common fruits and vegetables” ( 3). Total number of pesticides found on the crop.Maximum number of pesticides found on a single sample.Average amount of pesticides found, measured in parts per million.Average number of pesticides found on a single sample.Percent of samples with two or more detectable pesticides.Percent of samples tested with detectable pesticides.The EWG uses six measures to determine pesticide contamination of produce ( 3):
To compile the Dirty Dozen list, the EWG analyzes over 38,000 samples taken by the USDA and FDA to single out the worst offenders ( 3). Pesticides are substances commonly used in agriculture to protect crops from damage caused by insects, weed pressure and diseases. Since 1995, the EWG has released the Dirty Dozen - a list of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticide residues. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the public on issues like agricultural practices, natural resource protection and the impact of chemicals on human health ( 2).
0 kommentar(er)
