2022 Dirty Dozen/Clean 15

 

 

Environmental Working Group’s 2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce analyzed samples of non-organic produce sold throughout the United States and found that more than 70% were contaminated with potentially harmful pesticides, even after they had been washed, peeled, or scrubbed. The report indicates the U.S. lags behind other developed countries in protecting public health from toxic chemicals:

This year’s version of the guide, which analyzes the latest test data from the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration, also reveals that over 50 percent of potatoes, spinach, lettuce and eggplant had detectable levels of at least one of three bee-killing neonic insecticides banned in the European Union but still allowed for use on U.S. produce.

 

Produce that makes up EWG’s Dirty Dozen were contaminated with more pesticides compared to other crops. Other key findings:

• More than 90 percent of samples of strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines and grapes tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides.

• Kale, collard and mustard greens, as well as hot peppers and bell peppers, had the most pesticides detected, 103 and 101 pesticides in total, respectively.

• A single sample of kale, collard and mustard greens had up to 21 different pesticides.

• On average, spinach samples had 1.8 times as much pesticide residue by weight as any other crop tested.

• The pesticide most frequently detected on collards, mustard greens and kale is DCPA – sold under the brand name Dacthal – which is classified by the EPA as a possible human carcinogen and which was banned by the EU in 2009.

• Other problematic pesticides on greens include potentially neurotoxic neonicotinoids and pyrethroids.

 

All the items on the Clean 15 list had the lowest amount of pesticide residues:

• Almost 70 percent of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had no detectable pesticide residues.

• Avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest produce – less than 2 percent of samples showed any detectable pesticides.

• Just under 5 percent of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had residues of two or more pesticides.

• The first six Clean Fifteen items tested positive for just three or fewer pesticides per sample.

 

The AAP recognizes the influence these annual reports have on parents’ decision-making in the produce aisle:

In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued an important report that said children have “unique susceptibilities to [pesticide residues’] potential toxicity.” The organization referred to research that linked pesticide exposures in early life to pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function and behavioral problems. It advised members to urge parents to consult “reliable resources that provide information on the relative pesticide content of various fruits and vegetables.” A key resource it cited was EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

 

While they serve as important warnings for parents, EWG’s annual assessments of pesticide residues on non-organic produce doesn’t seem to have much influence on farming practices. Since 2016 when The PediaBlog first reviewed the lists, little has changed as far as which fruits and vegetables test positive for contamination. Pears have replaced cucumbers on the Dirty Dozen list and watermelon has replaced eggplant on the Clean 15, but the rest remain.

Consumers who wish to avoid ingesting potentially harmful pesticides are best advised to buy organic fruits and vegetables that appear on the Dirty Dozen list while also focusing their eating preferences on the Clean 15.

Read more on The PediaBlog about how parents can reduce exposure to pesticides and heavy metals in prepared baby foods here.

 

source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/04/19/2022-dirty-dozen-clean-15/