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.
