by Rosemarie Quintal

Created on: April 02, 2010

Fruit and vegetable contamination refers to the presence of chemical residues that cause health problems ranging from death to the build up of toxins in the body that can cause disease. The Top Ten list is now the Top Twelve. The top twelve contaminated fruits and vegetables in the United States in order of the presences of pesticides include: 1) peaches; 2) celery; 3) apples; 4) sweet bell peppers; 5) cherries; 6) imported grapes; 7) nectarines; 8) pears; 9) potatoes; 10) raspberries;  11) spinach; 12) strawberries. See healthyreader.com

Healthy Reader gives percentages of pesticide residue found in a range of 93% of pesticide residues for celery  to 90% pesticide residues for strawberries. The Environmental Protection Agency known as the EPA defines pesticides to include any chemical or agent that  prevents, destroys, repels or mitigates any pest. The EPA says that herbicides and fungicides are also pesticides. Pesticides include desiccants that may cause death to a pest by drying it up.See, www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/index.htm

 Hawaii farmers can use lime for fertilizing their crops but may no longer lay lime to kill coqui frogs. The point is that even fertilizers may be included in pesticide residue counts. For the most part pesticides can harm human beings and the environment we live in. History is showing however, that the Top Ten list of contaminated fruits and vegetables makes a difference to our health betterment.

Strawberries used to be much higher on the Top Ten fruits and vegetables contamination list in fact number one. The price of strawberries has gone up in the past two years from sales of 2 baskets for $4.00 to this year's Easter price of 2 baskets for $7.00 It is not certain that the rise in strawberry prices is the cost of healthier farming. As a consumer I have used the lists for eight years and recognized certain and definite health improvements including no more migraine headaches.

The most important meanings of the Top Ten contaminated fruits and vegetables list is to let the consumer know that you should not eat any of these fruits and vegetables unless they are organic and should we grow them if we cannot consume these fruits and vegetables because they have a high pesticide absorption rate. Organic food must be certified so as consumers we have the best insurance  if we cannot grow an organic garden on our own that our food has the nutrition that we expect it to have. The second question I pose from the top

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