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Review the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list of fruits and vegetables

All Practically Green: 1,087 or so people have DONE this action so far.

All Practically Green: 161 or so people have ADDED this to their action plan so far.

Why is "Review the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list of fruits and vegetables" green?

The Dirty Dozen is a catchy name the Environmental Working Group has given the twelve conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide levels—even after peeling and washing. The EWG says that by avoiding the Dirty Dozen—or eating organic versions of them—consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by almost 80 percent. They update the list yearly, basing it on tests for pesticides on produce collected by the USDA and the FDA.

Pesticide exposure has been linked in various studies to cancer, nervous system damage, and reproductive issues. Pesticides have been shown to cross the placenta during pregnancy. A study from the University of Washington (Seattle) found that preschoolers fed conventional diets had six times the level of certain pesticides in their urine as those who ate organic foods.

As a quick hint: the top 5 in 2011 were apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, and spinach.

How to: Review the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list of fruits and vegetables

Review the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list. Use it to guide your shopping habits.

Determine if you want—and can afford—to buy organic for the most contaminated fruits and vegetables.

If not buying organic, try reducing how often you purchase the most contaminated items and buy the least contaminated conventionally grown fruits and veggies instead.

Stick the Dirty Dozen list in your wallet to refer to when shopping.

  • iPhone App for Dirty Dozen from EWG
    • (2 Ratings)

    It can be brutally hard to remember which fruits and vegetables are in the top twelve, the bottom fifteen, or know what changes year to hear. This App makes it way easier; just check while you shop. It has the full list as well as best and worst lists. If your phone doesn't do Apps, just write the lists down on a card and stick it in your wallet.

  • Wallet-sized version of the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists
    • (2 Ratings)

    Download and print this wallet-sized version of the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists. Then put it somewhere you won't lose it so you can always have it to reference when shopping.