The Dirty Dozen

 Strawberries 🍓 

According to the Environmental Working Group, more than 90 percent of the strawberries sampled tested positive for two or more pesticides.

Spinach 🥬 

Spinach has more pesticide residue by weight (remember spinach leaves weigh very little) compared to any other produce tested. Relatively high concentrations of permethrin, a known neurotoxin, were found on many samples.

Kale 🥬 

Kale makes the list in 2019 for the first time in 10 years. Over 92 percent of conventional kale samples tested positive for two or more pesticide residues. 2009 was the last year the USDA provided testing data on kale until this year and some samples contained over 18 different pesticide residues. 60 percent of the kale samples tested had traces of DCPA (Dacthal) which is banned in the European Union and classified as a potential human carcinogen by the EPA.

Nectarines 🍑 

Almost all of the conventional nectarine samples, 94 percent, contained two or more pesticides. One sample even included residue from 15 different pesticides.

Apples 🍎 🍏 

Detectable pesticide residues were found on 90 percent of conventionally grown apples. A large majority of the samples, 80 percent, contained diphenylamine, a pesticide that's banned in Europe. Apples, like many of the other fruits and vegetables on this list, have a thin peel. The chemicals used in farming can easily pass through the peel to the flesh.

Grapes 🍇 

The conventional grape samples EWG tested contained an average of five different pesticide residues. More than 96 percent of all samples contained some traceable pesticide residues.

Peaches  🍑 

Like their cousin the nectarine, almost all of the conventional peach samples, a staggering 99 percent, contained pesticide residues. On average, conventional peaches were found to have residues of four different pesticides.

Cherries 🍒 

Conventional cherry samples had an average of five pesticides detected. A third of the cherries tested contained a potentially cancer-causing pesticide that is banned in Europe.

Pears 🍐 

Samples of conventionally grown pears were found to contain several pesticides in high concentrations, including fungicides and insecticides. Over half of the pear samples tested had residue from five or more pesticides.

Tomatoes 🍅 

The average conventionally grown tomato tested positive for nearly four types of pesticides. One sample even contained 15 various pesticides and breakdown products.

Celery 

Pesticides were found to be in more than 95 percent of conventional celery samples. Thirteen different pesticides were detected on one celery sample.

Potatoes 🥔 

By weight, conventional potatoes have more pesticide residues than any other crop tested by the Environmental Working Group. One pesticide, which has been reported to negatively impact the central nervous system, made up the bulk of the residues detected.

Peppers 🫑 

Although they usually only list 12 fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list, this year the Environmental Working Group chose to add hot peppers as an extra warning. During testing, nearly three-fourths of hot peppers were found to contain trace residues from highly toxic pesticides.

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