In a report analyzing seven years of data from the United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a US-based public health advocacy organization, ranked 47 popular fruits and vegetables on a scale of 1 to 100 for their human exposure to pesticides.

The analysis found that the fruits and vegetables with the highest risk, meaning that they contained on average 10 chemical substances, were peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce and carrots.

In the pesticide safe zone were avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mangos, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwis, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and grapefruit, with an average of two pesticides or less.

With known harms that range from skin irritation to cancer, pesticides are best avoided altogether whenever possible.

Meanwhile, being aware of which items bring the highest and lowest risk can help in staying healthy if organic produce isn’t available. The report concluded that avoiding the fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residues, while consuming ones with the lowest amounts can reduce a person's exposure to these chemicals
by as much as 80%.

Our appreciation for your research and suggestions to protect public health, Environmental Working Group scientists as we also thank the US Department of Agriculture for making the data available.

We look forward to organic vegan agriculture being the norm as all co-inhabitants share tranquility and joy in their daily fare.

http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php
http://www.northjersey.com/news/88791722_High_in_pesticides_foods_to_avoid_.html