Strawberries, leafy greens, grapes and green beans are simply a couple of products on the EWG's yearly list
Released March 22, 2024 12:01 PM (EDT)
Veggies and fruit in multiple-use bag at a farmers market (Getty Images/ArtMarie)
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a not-for-profit company dedicated to promoting healthy living and consuming, has actually launched its self-described “Dirty Dozen” list for 2024. The list itself ranks non-organic fruit and vegetables products with the most pesticides utilizing information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“This year, EWG figured out that 75 percent of all traditional fresh fruit and vegetables tested had residues of possibly hazardous pesticides,” according to the company. “But for products on the Dirty Dozen, a massive 95 percent of samples consist of pesticides.”
The USDA and FDA performed tests on 47,510 samples of 46 vegetables and fruits. Of those produce products, 12 vegetables and fruits were most polluted with pesticides. They consist of strawberries; spinach; kale, collard and mustard greens; grapes; peaches; pears; nectarines; apples; bell and hot peppers; cherries; blueberries and green beans.
Per the EWG, 4 of the 5 pesticides discovered most often on the Dirty Dozen are fungicides– particularly fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid and pyrimethanil. Fungicides are generally used on fruit and vegetables after harvest to avoid fungal illness and mold development. High concentrations of fungicides, nevertheless, might be damaging to the endocrine system, although more research studies are needed to comprehend simply how hazardous they are to human health.
The EWG suggested customers purchase natural variations of fruit and vegetables products on the Dirty Dozen as they include lower pesticide residues compared to non-organic products.
