An in-depth look at the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15
Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson ranked as the top three members of the Dirty Dozen when the film premiered in 1967. Since then, thanks to the Environmental Working Group’s annual report on pesticide levels in fruits and veggies, we’ve come to learn that there’s little star power in that ranking, at least when it’s applied to the produce we eat.
The EWG makes it clear that there are measurably risky pesticide residue levels in our food supply, despite the fact that since 1993 (and before) the government has known how toxic they can be. And there are serious repercussions: A study in JAMA last year found that a woman going through assisted reproductive technologies who eats two or more servings a day of high pesticide residue fruits and vegetables reduces her chance of a successful pregnancy by 26 percent! And a 2015 study found that men seeking
fertility-enhancement treatment who had the highest level of pesticide residue in their blood had the most compromised semen quality.
The EWG annual report on the foods with the highest pesticide residue and, thank heavens, the adjoining report on the Clean 15 help you select the most healthful foods. Hint: You do not always have to buy organic!
The Dirty Dozen: In descending order, they are: strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes and sweet bell peppers.