Dirty: Potatoes
Dirty: Celery
Dirty: Tomatoes
Tomatoes are number 10 on the dirty dozen list. In order to grow tomatoes, you need the right balance of moisture, and weeds are one of the most moisture-depleting elements to be found in a garden. In an effort to prevent these moisture-wicking phenes, tomato farmers use several different types of pesticides.
Dirty: Pears
The amount of pesticides used on pears in the past few years has skyrocketed. In 2016, 48% of the pears tested by the EWG had residue left over from five or more pesticides -- this is compared to just 3% in 2010. The pesticides detected in the highest concentrations were all fungicides, which can be applied late in the growing season or after pears are harvested, to keep them from spoiling in storage.
Dirty: Cherries
Dirty: Peaches
Juicy, sweet, and riddled with traces of pesticides, yum! A peach's soft exterior leaves it vulnerable to all sorts of moths, mites, and borers. Though buying organic produce is more expensive, buying organic peaches might make the money worth it because you'll be reducing the risk of consuming the pesticides found in the fruit.
Dirty: Grapes
Dirty: Apples
Dirty: Nectarines
Dirty: Kale
New to the list this year is kale. According to EWG ’s analysis of the 2017 Department of Agriculture test data, nearly 60% of kale samples sold in the U.S. were contaminated with residues of a pesticide the Environmental Protection Agency considers a possible human carcinogen. One of the pesticides commonly found is DCPA, often marketed as Dacthal, which the EPA classified as a possible carcinogen in 1995.
Dirty: Spinach
Dirty: Strawberries
Ah, strawberries -- the go-to valentine’s day staple. Strawberries have now topped the dirty dozen list for the fourth year in a row. As of 2019, strawberries are most likely to be contaminated with residues of pesticides, even after being washed. Testing found the dirtiest strawberry contained 23 separate pesticides residues.
Clean 15
Now, even though all of these scary things are still being learned about pesticide residues, fruits and vegetables are still an important part of a healthy balanced diet. “The Clean 15” provides a good base of vegetables, which are going to be less pesticide-ridden, so you can still maintain a healthy balanced diet.
Clean: Avocados
Clean: Sweet Corn
When it comes to pesticides, sweet corn is one of the cleanest conventional foods you can buy (less than 2% had any detected pesticide residues). However, the EWG makes sure to note that a small amount of sweet corn is grown from genetically engineered seeds, so if you choose to avoid genetically engineered crops, opt for organic corn.
Clean: Pineapples
Clean: Frozen Sweet Peas
Clean: Onions
Clean: Papayas
Clean: Eggplants
Clean: Asparagus
Clean: Kiwis
Clean: Cabbage
Clean: Cauliflower
Clean: Cantaloupes
Clean: Broccoli
Clean: Mushrooms
I was so surprised to learn that mushrooms were on this list because they’re an extremely soft and delicate treat. However, with a little bit of research, I was amazed at the power behind mushrooms. Mushrooms have a natural ability to use enzymes to break down foreign substances. In fact, mushrooms are so good at this that they’re sometimes used to clean up toxic waste.