Eat healthy and reduce risks Thanks to the bounty of fruits and vegetables in most American supermarkets, people can radically minimize consumption of the twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables with no nutritional risk. All of the vitamins, nutrients and carotenoids provided by the crops on the list of the twelve most contaminated are found in abundance in other less contaminated fruits and vegetables available in just about any grocery store. Carotenoids include the relatively well-known beta carotene and a host of other related chemicals. The following is a review of the twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables, in decreasing order of contamination. Strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, but vitamin C is common in many other fruits and vegetables.
Strawberries consistently show high levels of fungicides.
Two of these, captan and iprodione, are classified by the EPA as probable human carcinogens. Another common fungicide, vinclozolin, blocks the normal functioning of the male hormone, androgen. Strawberries are also routinely contaminated with endosulfan, a relative of DDT that interferes with normal hormone function by imitating the hormone estrogen. Nutritious substitutes with far lower pesticide residues include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and kiwis. Green bell peppers are a good source of vitamin C, and red bell peppers add vitamin A and a moderate dose of carotenoids to a meal.