According to EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™, non-organic fruits and vegetables are packed with fungicides that could potentially disrupt human hormone systems. Among the fruits and vegetables listed in EWG’s Dirty Dozen™, which highlights the 12 conventional produce items with the highest pesticide levels, four out of five frequently detected chemicals are fungicides: fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, and pyrimethanil.
Of particular concern are fludioxonil and pyrimethanil, which not only rank among the most commonly found pesticides on the Dirty Dozen list but also register the highest average concentrations. These fungicides are suspected endocrine disruptors, posing risks to the male reproductive system.
Furthermore, there’s a worrying trend with other fungicides showing similar potential health hazards, and many others haven’t undergone thorough studies yet. The analysis by EWG reveals that 75 percent of conventionally grown fresh produce contains residues of potentially harmful pesticides, but this figure spikes to 95 percent for items on the Dirty Dozen list.
EWG’s findings are based on data from tests carried out by the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, encompassing 47,510 samples of 46 different fruits and vegetables. Although the USDA preps produce samples by peeling, scrubbing, and washing them before testing, and the FDA starts with dirt removal, traces of 254 pesticides were still detected across all samples, with 209 of these present on Dirty Dozen produce.
Given these concerning results, EWG not only identifies the most pesticide-laden produce but also offers a solution: the Clean Fifteen™ list, which features fruits and vegetables with minimal or no pesticide residues. EWG recommends that consumers concerned about pesticide exposure opt for organic versions of items on the Dirty Dozen list and either organic or non-organic varieties from the Clean Fifteen.
Relevant articles:
– EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™, EWG
– Clean 15 & Dirty Dozen (Updated 2023 List), oliviabudgen.com
– Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 – the 2023 lists, elcaminohealth.org