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EWG’s 2013 Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen Lists Highlight Pesticides in Produce

Jill Ettinger — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:27:24 +0000

The Environmental Working Group's EWG's 2013 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce—the annual list of most pesticide-contaminated produce was released yesterday, and sees apples at the top of the list once again.

GMO Labeling Campaign Efforts Strengthened By Organic Partnership

Jill Ettinger — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:25:02 +0000

Efforts to bring about national labeling regulations for foods containing genetically modified ingredients sold in the U.S. were strengthened by the recent announcement of a collaborative partnership between the Environmental Working Group and Organic Voices.

Toxic Drinking Water in 43 States, Affecting 100 Million Americans

Jill Ettinger — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:12:31 +0000

According to analysis conducted by the Environmental Working Group on U.S. water quality tests conducted in 2011, toxic chemicals called trihalomethanes were found to be contaminating virtually all of the tap water samples tested.

EWG Expands Its 2012 ‘Dirty Dozen’ List of Fruits & Veggies With The Most Pesticides

Jill Ettinger — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 07:00:44 +0000

Expanding their annual list, the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research organization, has released its eighth annual "Dirty Dozen Plus" and the companion list, the "Clean 15," ranking fruits and vegetables based on levels of pesticide contamination.

America’s Farm Bill: Good, Bad or Both?

Jill Ettinger — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:00:59 +0000

The Environmental Working Group, best known for the "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean Fifteen" lists of fruits and vegetables most and least exposed to pesticides, has compiled a helpful list about the farm bill that Congress is expected to enact over the next 18 months.

New USDA Pesticide Data Supports Choosing Organic

Jill Ettinger — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 07:00:58 +0000

As consumers got their first taste of the Environmental Working Group's 2011 list of the most/least heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables, the Organic Trade Association has issued an advisory urging Americans to choose organic if they wish to avoid pesticide residues.

EWG Releases the 2011 “Dirty Dozen” Most Toxic Fruits and Vegetables List

Jill Ettinger — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 07:00:40 +0000

As the biggest season for fresh fruits and vegetables rolls across the country, the Environmental Working Group has finally released The 2011 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which updates consumers on the total pesticide loads found in conventional produce on a list more commonly known as the "Dirty Dozen."

Why Is the USDA Withholding Pesticide Residue Level Test Results?

Jill Ettinger — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:00:56 +0000

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack is being urged by the nation's top physicians, scientists and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to release overdue data on pesticide levels for fruits and vegetables tested in 2010.

Buy Local Fruits and Vegetables to Go Organic, and Save Money

Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:34:44 +0000

In April, the Environmental Working Group released a report ranking the 12 dirtiest fruits and vegetables, and the 15 cleanest.

The icky stuff, i.e. most contaminated with pesticides, included produce like nectarines, cherries, and carrots.

But avocados, mangos, and eggplant, were among the safer foods.

The problem is, more often than not, organic stuff is more expensive than conventional fruits and vegetables.

So a quick tip to eat cleaner and save a little money is to buy foods from local farmers markets, a lot of the stuff can be organic, plus little markets are almost always cheaper than big retailers.

Another way, and its not technically organic, is to buy regular fruits and vegetables, specifically the clean stuff, and give them a good scrub to avoid any pesticide residue.

I guess I'm a casual organic buyer. I'm not super anal about it, if I see some organic fruits and vegetables I buy them, but I usually purchase organic food products, like cereals, soymilk, tofu, and bread.

Via Island Life.

Image credit: yarnzombie

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Helps Decrease Phthalates!

Leslie Billera — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:18:41 +0000

Our beloved beauty products full of chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive harm and other nasty health affects? Yuck! Check out our list of ingredients to avoid and read those labels! On a positive note, The Environmental Working Group's Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has some good news! A recent report shows that some leading beauty companies have been quietly removing phthalates (a set of industrial chemicals linked to birth defects and reproductive harm) from some popular products including perfume and hairspray. U.S. Today has it:

In the new report, researchers retested 12 perfumes, deodorants and hair sprays that previously had high phthalate levels. Nine have reduced or eliminated phthalates, the report shows. Two of the products — Secret Sheer Dry Regular deodorant and Arrid XX Dry Ultra Clear Ultra Fresh spray — have no phthalates. And Christian Dior's Poison perfume — which used to contain four types of phthalates — is virtually phthalate-free. Three samples of Poison had undetectable phthalate levels, while a fourth had low levels, according to the report.

Find out more on what to watch for in Laura Klein's article on cosmetics and breast cancer.