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Originally published July 29 2011

Guide to Pesticides in Produce - EWG releases new edition

by Dave Gabriele

(NaturalNews) Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC, has released its latest edition of its Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. The guide helps supermarket shoppers make healthier choices by offering a quick reference to the "Dirty Dozen" list (the produce most contaminated by pesticides) and the "Clean 15" (the produce least contaminated).

For the complete list: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

According to the 2011 guide, it would be wise to buy apples that are organically grown as they have the highest concentrations of pesticides. Celery and strawberries contain the next highest levels of pesticide residue. Produce such as onions, sweet corn and pineapples have the lowest residues of pesticides and so are relatively safe to buy conventionally grown.

It is accepted that pesticides are extremely toxic to both the environment and human health. Many research institutions and government agencies, such as Environmental Working Group or the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, have linked pesticides to nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone disruption, IQ deficits among children, and other health problems.

"Though buying organic is always the best choice, we know that sometimes people do not have access to that produce or cannot afford it," said EWG President Ken Cook. "Our guide helps consumers concerned about pesticides to make better choices among conventional produce, and lets them know which fruits and vegetables they may want to buy organic."

According to EWG, people can consume 92% less pesticides if they eat conventionally grown fruits and vegetables from the "Clean 15" list rather than the "Dirty Dozen" list. Not only will the amount of chemicals be massively decreased, but it was also found that fewer types of pesticides would be consumed. Eating five servings of fruit or vegetables from the Dirty Dozen would average the ingestion of 14 different pesticides per day. Eating the same amount from the Clean 15 would average about two pesticides per day. This is significant since little is known about the interactions and synergistic toxicity of pesticide chemical compounds.

In order to get this information, Analysts at EWG collected and processed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2000 to 2009. Researchers then tested each food using six factors as markers to reflect the level and types of pesticides found. Foods were washed and peeled before being tested in order to reproduce the amounts of the chemicals likely present on the food when is it eaten.

SOURCES

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
http://environmentaldefence.ca/campaigns/tox...
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/repo...
http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/FactSheet/Pe...

Organic Food is Better

Organic produce 'better for you'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7067100.st...

It's Official: Organic Really is Better
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/a...

Organic fruit tastes better, is better for you: study
http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_...

Is Organic Better?
http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HEA...

President's Cancer Panel Report (Summary)
http://www.organicitsworthit.org/learn/presi...

Decreased functional diversity and biological pest control in conventional compared to organic crop fields
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21611171

Effects of organic and conventional cultivation methods on composition of eggplant fruits
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20443597

OTA: Nutritional Considerations
http://www.ota.com/organic/benefits/nutritio...

Pesticides Harm Children

Dangers of Pesticides
http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/dangers-...

Pesticide exposure in womb may hurt your child's IQ
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/21/womb.pe...

Prenatal Pesticide Exposure Linked to Diminished IQ
http://www.ewg.org/release/prenatal-pesticid...

Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children's Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArti...

Agricultural pesticide use and childhood cancer in California
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15613951

Prenatal insecticide exposures and birth weight and length among an urban minority cohort
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15238288

A summary of recent findings on birth outcomes and developmental effects of prenatal ETS, PAH, and pesticide exposures
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16112323

Review of Pesticide Urinary Biomarker Measurements from Selected US EPA Children's Observational Exposure Studies
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21655147

Organophosphorus pesticide exposure of urban and suburban preschool children with organic and conventional diets
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12611667

Dietary intake and its contribution to longitudinal organophosphorus pesticide exposure in urban/suburban children
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18414640

Pesticide residues in some commodities: dietary risk for children
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21461739

Pesticides on household surfaces may influence dietary intake of children
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21517066

Dietary Pesticide Exposure

Pesticide exposure, safety issues, and risk assessment indicators
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21655127

Organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and trace elements in wild European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) off European estuaries
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21719074

Chronic toxicity of pesticides to the mRNA expression levels of metallothioneins and cytochrome P450 1A genes in rainbow trout
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21665904

Pesticides and Cancer

Pesticides and brain cancer linked in orchard farmers of Kashmir
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21584215

CYP 1A1 polymorphism and organochlorine pesticides levels in the etiology of prostate cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20817259

Pesticides and breast cancer risk: a comparison between developed and developing countries
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20593953

Differential estrogenic effects of the persistent organochlorine pesticides dieldrin, endosulfan, and lindane in primary neuronal cultures
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21278053



About the author

Dave Gabriele, D.Ac, BA, is a registered acupuncturist, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine and a health researcher helping people in and around the Greater Toronto Area. He is the founder of Life Balance Family Health Care (www.balanceyourlife.ca), an organization committed to providing people with the information and guidance they need to make positive lifestyle changes. Dave has been a teacher of Chinese martial arts since 1997, including the arts of Taiji and Qigong.







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