Dirty
Dozen: Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce EWG
2023
Low-level
exposure to pyrethroid insecticides
found in common pesticide brands like
RAID and ORTHO results in neurodevelopmental damage to laboratory animals,
reinforcing evidence of harm found in epidemiological studies on human exposure
to these chemicals.
Beehive products (i.e., bee bread, propolis,
beeswax and royal jelly) from beekeeping or apiculture are said to have
nutraceutical (health and medicinal benefits) properties. However, a wide range
of
pesticide
residues (i.e.,
tau-fluvalinate
,
coumaphos
,
chlorfenvinphos
,
chlorpyrifos
and
amitraz
), especially
acaricides
for killing ticks and mites in hives,
may
accumulate in beehive products up to concentrations that pose a potential
health risk.
In 2018, USDA
collected and tested 758 wheat flour and 189 rice samples and found 19 and 37
different pesticides on these commodities, respectively, including the
neurotoxic pesticide
chlorpyrifos and the pyrethroid insecticide
deltamethrin
. Rice samples also contained
tricyclazole and propiconazole
,
two fungicides not approved in the EU.
Washing
and cooking
rice can reduce some pesticide residues. Glyphosate is
also present in
wheat
products
, as testing by EWG
and others has shown.
A
recent study
in France found
that children who consumed greater amounts of pasta, rice or semolina and
breakfast cereals and whole grain bread had higher levels of metabolites of
pyrethroid
pesticides
in their urine, compared to those who consumed less of these
foods.
Despite testing foods for more than 500 pesticides, the USDA tests do
not include glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the U.S. Research by
EWG and
other
advocacy groups has highlighted the
pervasive contamination of our food supply with
glyphosate
, a chemical associated
with an elevated risk of cancer.
EWG’s own testing
detected the toxic pesticide in more
than
95 percent
of the samples of oat-based products, including
children’s
cereals
Like oats, beans and legumes are frequently sprayed with
glyphosate
right before harvest. Glyphosate has been reported in
pinto beans
and in chickpea products such as
hummus
. Testing by
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
detected glyphosate
in nearly half of bean, pea and lentil
products tested in 2015 and 2016. To avoid glyphosate in these products,
organic
varieties are a good choice.
The Dirty Dozen PLUS™ list includes sweet bell peppers and hot peppers,
both of which can carry residues of neurotoxic chemicals such as the
organophosphate insecticides
acephate and chlorpyrifos
. EWG recommends
that people who frequently eat these vegetables buy organic, especially if
they’re feeding them to children. If you’re going to eat conventional peppers,
because
if
you can’t find or afford organic, make sure to cook
them
, because pesticide
levels
typically diminish when food is
cooked
.
S
ome herbs used in cooking, such as cilantro, can contain surprisingly
high pesticide levels
.
For example, based on this year’s USDA data, the pesticide profile on
cilantro
is similar to that on
spinach
and
kale
, both of which are
on the Dirty Dozen list.
As with kale, the most frequently detected pesticide on cilantro is
DCPA
,
often sold under the brand name Dacthal, which is classified as a possible
human carcinogen by the EPA and not approved for use in the European Union.
Other concerning pesticides detected on cilantro include
chlorpyrifos and
pyrethroid insecticides.
99 percent tested
positive for at least two pesticides. On average, each sample was contaminated
with more than 13 pesticides, and one sample had 26 pesticides.
Raisins are one of the dirtiest produce commodities on
the market – and even some organic raisins are contaminated.
USDA found on
raisins:
·
Two neonicotinoids,
the
bee-killing
pesticides that can also harm
brain development
.
Imidacloprid was detected on 84 percent of raisins, and acetamiprid on 13
percent.
·
Two pesticides
associated with cancer and damage to the developing nervous system.
Bifenthrin
was found on 77 percent of raisin
samples, and
tebuconazole
on 62 percent. Both chemicals are
developmentally neurotoxic in animals and are classified by the Environmental
Protection Agency as
possible human
carcinogens
. Tebuconazole is also linked to
endocrine disruption
and impaired reproductive development.
·
Chlorpyrifos
,
another
brain-damaging
pesticide, which has been banned in
the European Union while the
U.S. refuses to follow
suit
, was detected on 5 percent of raisins.
The USDA’s strawberry tests found that:
·
Almost all samples – 99 percent – had detectable
residues of at least one pesticide.
·
Some 30 percent had residues of 10 or more pesticides.
·
The dirtiest strawberry sample had residues of 23
different pesticides and breakdown products.
·
Strawberry samples contained residues of 81 different
pesticides in various combinations.
·
The average U.S.
consumer consumed about 1.25 pounds of raisins in 2017, the latest year for
which the USDA
has information
.
Apples are
generally near the top of EWG’s Dirty Dozen™ list because they contain an
average of 4.4 pesticide residues, including some at high concentrations. One
chemical found on apples has triggered an intense international debate, set the
U.S. and Europe on radically different courses, and given Americans one more
reason to buy organic apples.