One of the topics that’s worth discussing during table talks is the pesticide residues in our food. Herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides could make vegetables and fruits more damaging to our health than beneficial. Accidental ingestion or excessive exposure to these poisonous substances could lead to serious side effects, and even be fatal. If these toxic substances can kill insects and pests, then chances are they can also harm and poison humans.
To learn more about food safety, organizations like the Environmental Working Group analyzed the results and testing data obtained by the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration regarding fruit and vegetable pesticide contamination. Find out more about fresh produce that are unsafe to eat and which ones are still not fully contaminated by these toxic chemicals by checking out the lists below.
Lists of Neat and Pesticide Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables
Pesticide-contaminated fresh produce
Under this category are the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables or what other people call the Dirty Dozen. (1)
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, collard & mustard greens
- Peaches
- Pears
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Bell & hot Peppers
- Cherries
- Blueberries
- Green Beans
Neat food
Fruits and vegetables that have the lowest amounts of pesticide residues are called Clean 15™. See the list of food belonging to this cluster below (1)
- Carrots
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
- Mangoes
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Kiwi
- Honeydew melon
- Asparagus
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Avocados
- Onions
- Pineapple
- Sweet corn*
- Papaya*
It’s important to note that though some fruits and vegetables are organically grown, they might have been produced from genetically modified seeds. This can include sweet corn, papaya, and summer squash. This especially applies if they are grown in places that adopt genetically modified methods (GMO) to produce or propagate fruits and vegetables.
In-between
There are also those foods that are in between meaning they are neither in the list of Dirty Dozen or Clean Fifteen. Vegetables and fruits in this category are: (1)
- Tomatoes
- Winter squash
- Celery
- Potatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Tangerines
- Cucumbers
- Broccoli
- Summer squash*
- Plums
- Eggplant
- Raspberries
- Grapefruit
- Snap Peas
- Oranges
- Cantaloupe
- Bananas
- Cauliflower
People’s Real Experiences About the Effects of Pesticide on Human Health
Concerns about ingesting toxic substances and pesticide residues from fresh produce are usually ignored. Despite that we’re aware of the adverse effects of pesticides, and how risky it is, we observed that many people take this kind of issue for granted, thus making it seem as if it’s of little importance.
Due to our nature of having optimism bias, many of us may think that we won’t experience the side effects of pesticides. Hence we might consider that these kinds of reminders must be only addressed to people who are directly exposed and using these dangerous and health-harming substances. However, removing this bias and seeing things objectively allows us to be more mindful in choosing to consume foods that are safe and healthy to remain fit and well, and prevent putting our health at risk or experience any negative side effects.
Several case studies have shown that ingesting pesticides could lead to adverse effects and can even cause the affected person to be hospitalized. Read the cases below to learn about the impact of pesticides on our bodies.
Pesticide poisoning
Children poisoning
Childhood pesticide poisoning is one of the major health problems in regions like Zhejiang China. Among all age groups, it has been found that infant pesticide poisoning, which could be caused by contaminated food consumption, has the highest fatality rate. This claim is based on the findings of an epidemiological study that investigated the incident cases of child pesticide poisoning from 2006 to 2015. Their data was retrieved from the Occupational Disease Surveillance and Reporting System of Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China. The investigation also found that preschool children were the most affected age group, followed by adolescents, the school-age group, and infants. Poisoning occurs mostly in rural areas where pesticides are easily available to rural families who frequently use pesticides for their agricultural activities. Moreover, the outcome of the investigation yielded that during the farming season child pesticide poisoning was common, and more cases were reported in summer and fall, while fewer poisoning cases were documented in winter. Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides were identified to be the usual cause of child pesticide poisoning, which is probably because of their easy availability and usual usage in agriculture. Herbicides and fungicides also caused poisonings and deaths. Paraquat, methamidophos, and dichlorvos were the pesticides involved in most deaths. Thus the researchers recommend that pesticides with high toxicity must be banned. (2)
Farmers, growers poisoning
Young farmer
A young farmer’s pesticide poisoning experience was published in Scientific Research Publishing in 2017. Anjelo M., a 21-year-old farmer who’s married with two children, and living in Gaza Strip, Palestine was found losing consciousness on their farm after spraying the pest control insecticide chlorpyrifos, and using high volume technique on a windy day. When he was intoxicated by the insecticide, he became disoriented and irritable. He was also vomiting, suffering from diarrhea, and had a low level of acetylcholine esterase activity. Other adverse effects observed on him were severe involuntary movement of the tongue, twitching muscles, and his pinpoint pupils were irresponsive to light. The farmer was hospitalized and admitted to the intensive care unit. It took him several weeks before he was fully detoxed from the insecticide and was severely poisoned in the first week, moderately poisoned in the second week, and slightly poisoned in the third week. The farmer left the hospital after three weeks of medical treatment and follow-up. (3)
Old farmer
While staying in the countryside to apply dimethoate-based organophosphorus pesticide on olive plants, an 84-year-old man was found unconscious in his agricultural field. He was brought to the Emergency Department of Mazzini Hospital in Teramo Italy and upon hospital’s arrival, the patient’s neurological status was Glasgow Coma Scale 3. He had muscle and peribuccal articulation, constricted pupils, hyper-lacrimation or excessive watering eyes, facial redness, excessive sweating, and urinary incontinence. He also suffered from insufficient blood flow, respiratory failure with noisy snoring sound breathing, and bronchoconstriction due to bronchorrhea or excessive discharge of watery mucus from the lungs. He was treated by cleansing and decontaminating his skin, and excluded poisoning by the digestive route. After two years, he had an amnesia regarding the incident though he doesn’t have a neurological impairment and was in excellent condition. (4)
These cases tell about the experiences of real people. From these narratives, we can see how poisonous pesticides are. If farmers themselves and their children have been poisoned and affected by these chemicals, then individuals like us – who are prone to consuming fresh produce with pesticide residues could also be affected by it. Hence this kind of message is not only addressed to those who directly use pesticides particularly the farmers who plant and grow our food. Being a consumer of fresh produce, we must also choose to be aware of how it could affect us. We must own the responsibility of taking good care of our health and take charge of ensuring that we provide our body with appropriate and adequate nourishment through safe and healthy ingredients.
Value having a genuine healthy body
Reference:
- (1) Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™: Full List. Environmental Working Group. Retrieved on 2/13/2023 from https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php
- (2) Yimaer, A., Chen, G., Zhang, M. et al. Childhood pesticide poisoning in Zhejiang, China: a retrospective analysis from 2006 to 2015. BMC Public Health 17, 602 (2017). doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4505-3
- (3) El-Nahhal, Y. (2017) Acute Poisoning among Farmers by Chlorpyrifos: Case Report from Gaza Strip. Occupational Diseases and Environmental Medicine, 5, 47-57. doi:10.4236/odem.2017.52005.
- (4) Faluomi M, Cialini M, Naviganti M, Mastromauro A, Marinangeli F, Angeletti C. Organophosphates pesticide poisoning: a peculiar case report. J Emerg Crit Care Med 2022;6:30. doi:10.21037/jeccm-22-64
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