Health

A New Report On Pesticides Could Do More Harm Than Good

The report warns that many conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are contaminated with pesticides.

A New Report On Pesticides Could Do More Harm Than Good
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A new report is warning consumers that many conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are contaminated with pesticides.

But the report might actually do more harm than good.

This is the Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It ranks the best and worst produce when it comes to pesticide content.

For the second year in a row, strawberries topped the bad part of the list, also known as "The Dirty Dozen."

The nonprofit says just one sample of conventionally grown strawberries showed 20 different pesticides.

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And the other "Dirty Dozen" fruits and veggies didn't do too hot either.

According to the report, more than 98 percent of samples of spinach, peaches, nectarines, cherries and apples tested positive for at least one pesticide.

The annual list is meant to convince shoppers to buy organic when it comes to certain types of produce.

But critics say reports like these could be scaring people away from buying any fruits or vegetables.

And at least one study has found the level of pesticides consumers are exposed to via "The Dirty Dozen" is "negligible."

For its part, the EWG emphasized in a statement that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is "essential no matter how they're grown."