More than half of these unsafe exposures are from one pesticide, methyl parathion. Ten years after Alar, apples are still loaded with pesticides. The average apple has four pesticides after it is washed and cored. Some have as many as ten. More than half the children exposed to an unsafe dose of OP insecticides get it from apples, apple sauce or apple juice.
Some apples are so toxic that just one bite can deliver an unsafe dose of OPs to a child under five.
Kids should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, but emphasize those with fewer pesticides on them. Government tests show that red raspberries, strawberries, apples, and peaches grown in the United States and cantaloupe from Mexico are the foods most contaminated with pesticides. The fruits least contaminated with pesticides were watermelon, bananas, kiwi, pineapple, and domestically grown cantaloupe. The least contaminated vegetables include corn, onions and peas. Organic food is the safest choice of all.