A new study from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) shows that some fruits and vegetables may increase the levels of harmful pesticides in our bodies.
These chemicals, often found on produce, have been linked to cancer, hormone problems, brain and nerve damage in children, and reproductive issues.
The study shows how important our daily diet is when it comes to pesticide exposure.
The research was published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. Scientists found that people who ate more produce with high pesticide levels—such as strawberries, spinach, and bell peppers—had much higher pesticide levels in their urine.
In contrast, people who mostly ate fruits and vegetables with low pesticide levels had lower pesticide levels in their bodies.
Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., the lead author and EWG’s vice president for science, says this study shows how what we eat affects how much pesticide ends up in our bodies. Although fruits and vegetables are very important for a healthy diet, some of them may come with higher pesticide risks.
The researchers collected data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on pesticide residue in produce from 2013 to 2018. They also used data from 1,837 people who participated in a national health survey (NHANES) between 2015 and 2016.
This allowed the researchers to match what people ate with the pesticide levels found in their urine. They created a “pesticide exposure score” for each person based on how much and what types of produce they ate.
They compared these scores with 15 pesticide markers in the participants’ urine and focused on three major types of pesticides: organophosphates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids. The results showed a clear connection between the specific fruits and vegetables people ate and the amount of pesticide found in their bodies.
The study revealed several important findings. First, it showed that eating produce with high pesticide residues was clearly linked to higher pesticide levels in the body.
Second, it found that people are exposed to more than one kind of pesticide at a time—produce had residues from 178 different pesticides, but only 42 of those were tested for in urine. This means there are still many chemicals that we’re exposed to and don’t even test for.
Interestingly, when potatoes were included in the analysis, the connection between eating produce and having higher pesticide levels disappeared.
That’s because people eat potatoes in many different ways, which makes it hard to track pesticide exposure from them accurately. The researchers say more studies are needed to understand the link between potatoes and pesticides.
The study also raises concerns about the current safety rules for pesticides. Right now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) looks at the safety of each pesticide one at a time. But people are often exposed to many pesticides at once.
The authors suggest that the method they used to estimate exposure from diet could help regulators better understand real-world exposure and protect vulnerable groups like pregnant women and children.
Despite these findings, the EWG encourages people to continue eating lots of fruits and vegetables. They say switching to organic produce when possible can greatly reduce pesticide exposure. Organic farming doesn’t allow the use of many harmful pesticides.
The EWG recommends using their Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which includes the “Dirty Dozen” (fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide levels) and the “Clean Fifteen” (those with the lowest).
This study shows just how much the food we eat affects our health—and why choosing the right produce can make a real difference.
The study is published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.
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