Apples, celery, strawberries, spinach and peaches are the types of produce that might have the most pesticide residue, even after being washed and peeled. In fact, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that 98 percent of apples in a 700-apple sample had residue from at least one of 48 different pesticides, and 92 percent had residue from two or more pesticides. Other "dirty" produce can include grapes, nectarines, bell peppers and potatoes, along with domestic blueberries, lettuce and kale. Despite the dramatic numbers, the pesticides found were mostly within the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for safe consumption. Worried consumers can lower their risk of pesticide exposure — possibly by more than 90 percent — by choosing "clean" foods such as mushrooms, grapefruit, asparagus, pineapples and onions, which had the lowest levels of pesticides.
More facts about fruit and vegetables:
- Apples are the second-most-consumed fruit in the U.S., after bananas. U.S. consumers eat about 46 pounds (about 20 kg) of apples or apple products per person each year.
- Children tend to be more sensitive to pesticides than adults. The Environmental Protection Agency advises consumers to wash all produce for 10 seconds under cold water to reduce pesticide exposure in both children and adults.
- More than 2.6 million tons of pesticides are used annually around the world.