Eating more produce with high pesticide levels exposes Americans to dozens of potential toxins, study says

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

(CNN) — Eating a lot of fruits or vegetables with higher levels of pesticides may raise the levels of dozens of pesticides in your urine, according to a new study.

“We compared the amount of pesticides on fruits and vegetables to actual measurements of pesticides in people,” said lead study author Alexis Temkin, vice president of science for the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, a health advocacy organization that publishes a list of extremely contaminated produce dubbed the “Dirty Dozen.”

It’s part of the annual EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which also includes the “Clean Fifteen,” a list of the least contaminated fruits and veggies.

The latest study compared levels of pesticides found by the US Department of Agriculture in produce with urine samples gathered by NHANES, or the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is conducted annually by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We found consuming different types of fruits and vegetables changes your pesticide levels accordingly, with greater consumption of the higher-residue foods increasing pesticide levels in urine more than consumption of the lower-residue foods,” Temkin said.

The study showed an “amazing amount of consistency” between the levels of pesticides found by the USDA on vegetables and the levels found in human urine, said Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.

“This tells us that we don’t have to measure each person — when people eat a lot of produce with high residues of pesticides, they’re more likely to have elevated levels in their urine,” said Birnbaum, who was not involved with the study.

“And they are not looking at just one pesticide at a time. They’re looking at an integrated measure of pesticide toxicity from a variety of chemicals,” she said. “That’s important because pesticides are associated with all sorts of adverse health effects.”

CropLife America, which represents pesticide producers, told CNN via email that the US Environmental Protection Agency establishes pesticide residue limits that account for the entire diet.

“Contrary to the study’s claims, the EPA evaluates the combined exposure to multiple pesticides that share a common mechanism of toxicity, while also considering the risks to vulnerable populations, including infants, children, and people with chronic health conditions,” said Dr. Manojit Basu, vice president of science policy and regulatory affairs for CropLife America.

A toxic mix of pesticides

Authors of the peer-reviewed study, published Wednesday in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, designed it to assess whether levels of pesticides found by USDA testing would match human exposure.

“The USDA data often shows levels that are beneath what the government considers harmful, but that is looking at one pesticide at a time,” Temkin said.

“However, there are close to 200 different pesticides people may be exposed to, and it’s impossible to monitor every single one of those in the human body,” she said. “Now, we have a method to estimate pesticide levels in an individual’s diet and then start to study any associated health effects.”

Pesticides have been potentially linked in past studies to premature births, congenital malformations such as neural tube defects, spontaneous abortions and an increase in genetic damage in humans. Exposure to pesticides has also been associated with lower sperm concentrations, heart disease, cancer and other disorders.

Children are especially susceptible to contaminants such as pesticides, even while in the womb, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Pesticide exposure during pregnancy may lead to an increased risk of birth defects, low birth weight, and fetal death,” according to the AAP. “Exposure in childhood has been linked to attention and learning problems, as well as cancer.”

Backing for the ‘Dirty Dozen’

The study’s results uphold the methodology used to create the annual EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides and Produce and support its guidance on how people might reduce their exposure to a number of pesticides, Temkin added.

In the 2025 guide released in June, for example, researchers found a total of 203 pesticides on the Dirty Dozen produce, with samples of all types of foods except cherries testing for over 50 pesticides.

Testing found the highest levels of pesticides in spinach — with more pesticide residue by weight than any other produce tested — followed by strawberries, kale (along with mustard greens and collards), grapes, peaches, cherries, nectarines, pears, apples, blackberries, blueberries and potatoes.

However, scientists identified the most toxic mix of concerning pesticides in green beans, spinach, bell and hot peppers, kale, collard and mustard greens, according to the report.

Pineapple was the least contaminated produce tested in 2025, followed by sweet corn (fresh and frozen), avocados, papaya, onions, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, watermelon, cauliflower, bananas, mangos, carrots, mushrooms and kiwi.

How to limit pesticides in your produce

It’s important for health not to limit consumption of fruits and vegetables, Temkin said, suggesting that it can be done if a person chooses more options from the least contaminated list and — if at all possible — selects organic versions of the most contaminated foods that make up the Dirty Dozen.

If purchasing organic isn’t an option, you can reduce pesticide exposure by carefully cleaning all produce you buy.

“The data we use to estimate pesticide levels comes from washed produce,” Temkin said. “The USDA testers mimic consumer behavior and wash fruits or vegetables for about 15 or 20 seconds under running water. They also peel something like an orange or banana.

“So if you don’t wash your produce at home, your exposure would be expected to be higher,” she said.

Even if you peel, you should still wash first, says the US Food and Drug Administration. All produce, even organic, should be washed before peeling so dirt and bacteria aren’t transferred from a knife onto the fruit or vegetable. After washing, dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Firm produce such as carrots, cucumbers, melons and potatoes can be scrubbed with a clean vegetable brush under running water, the FDA says. All other produce can be gently rubbed while being rinsed. There is no need to use bleach, soap or a produce wash — fruits and vegetables are porous and can absorb the chemicals.

Remove the outermost leaves of cabbage, lettuce and other leafy greens and rinse each leaf carefully — but don’t blast your greens with water, or you’ll bruise them. It’s best to use low-pressure water that is warmer than your produce and a colander to spin the greens dry, experts say. Don’t forget to wash the colander afterward.

Exceptions are “triple-washed” bagged greens which, according to the FDA, do not need an additional wash.

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