"Eating fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. exposes consumers to classes of pesticides associated with serious health problems. New research helps show just how much."
"If you eat a daily serving of fruits and vegetables, critical components of a healthy diet, you’re likely ingesting a hefty dose of pesticides too, new peer-reviewed research shows.
U.S. farmers apply hundreds of millions of pounds of harmful pesticides to kill insects, pathogens and other agricultural pests every year. Consumers can be exposed to these chemicals if they drink contaminated water, live or work around treated fields or eat tainted food.
People who ate strawberries, spinach, kale and other produce with high levels of pesticide residues, even after washing them, had significantly higher amounts of pesticides in their urine than those who ate less-contaminated produce, scientists with the Environmental Working Group reported Wednesday in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.
The EWG study builds on the nonprofit group’s annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which ranks fruits and vegetables from most to least contaminated based on pesticide residue monitoring data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture."
Liza Gross reports for Inside Climate News September 24, 2025.
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