Pesticides In Your Produce: The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen
PENCINTA ALAM MAY 2013 GREEN LIVING COLUMN PESTICIDES IN YOUR PRODUCE: THE DIRTY DOZEN AND CLEAN FIFTEEN (Compiled and edited from Environmental Working Group, Eartheasy.com and Mother Nature Network) The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. The Environmental Working Group (EWG)'s Shopper's Guide to Pesticides 2012 was published to help consumers make informed choices if they so choose to reduce their exposure to pesticides found and tested in produce sold in the USA. However, scientists, including the director of the Office for Science and Society at McGill University, Montreal, and the US Dept of Agriculture have stated that there is no evidence that the trace residues of pesticides present in produce are harmful to human health, and that eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all. Most countries monitor residual levels of pesticides in produce, and establish legal...