April 19, 2015

Well this ought to rattle the cockles of your heart. Recently a study at the Harvard T. H. Chan School School of Public Health found that men who ate high levels of pesticide residues had lower sperm count and a lower percentage of normal sperm than those who ate lower levels. The study classified fruits and vegetables according to whether they contained high amounts of pesticide residues or low to moderate amounts based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Pesticide Data Program. The study was published online in the journal Human Reproduction March 30, 2015.

Incidentally every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) compiles two produce lists for consumers from a list of common fruits and vegetables tested by the USDA. The Dirty Dozen is a list of 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of pesticide residue. The Clean 15 is a list of fruits and vegetables with the lowest amounts of pesticide residues.  This year The Dirty Dozen (listed from highest to lowest amount) were found to be apples, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, grapes, celery, spinach sweet bell peppers cucumbers cherry tomatoes, imported snap peas and potatoes.

The Clean 15 (listed from the least amount to more) were avocados, sweet corn, pineapples cabbage, frozen sweet peas, onions, asparagus, mangos, papayas, kiwi, eggplant, grapefruit, cantaloupe, cauliflower and sweet potatoes.  

For more information http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php