If you're eating non-organic lettuce, you may be ingesting 67 pesticides, according to a new report from theEnvironmental Work Group (EWG). The fruit and vegetables termed the "Dirty Dozen," contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving. Amy Rosenthal from EWG said, "The list is based on pesticide tests conducted after the produce was washed with USDA high-power pressure water system. The numbers reflect the closest thing to what consumers are buying at the store." Although the President's Cancer Panel recently recommended that consumers eat produce without pesticides to reduce their risk of getting cancer and other diseases, the low levels of pesticides found on even the Dirty Dozen are government-approved amounts. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) condones the use of pesticides with 'reasonable certainty of no harm,' but studies show associations between pesticides and health problems such as caner, attention-deficit disorder (ADD), nervous system disorders and a weakened immune system. Children's growing brains are the most vulnerable to pesticides in food. "A kid's brain goes through extraordinary development, and if pesticides get into the brain, it can cause damage," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, department of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "We've found that washing doesn't do much. Peeling can help, although you have to take into account that the pesticides are in the water, so they can be inside the fruit because of the soil," said Rosenthal. If you are on a budget and cannot afford to buy everything organic, just focus on buying the "dirty dozen" organic and the rest of your produce non-organic. "You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by up to 80 percent by buying the organic version of the Dirty Dozen," Rosenthal said.
The Dirty Dozen (High pesticide levels, should buy organic)
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Spinach, kale and collard greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported grapes
Lettuce
The Clean 15 (Low pesticide levels, ok to buy non-organic)
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/01/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide/index.html
