Apples Top List of 'Dirty Dozen' Foods

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- A report from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found apples are more contaminated by pesticides than any other fruit or vegetable.

The organization releases its "Dirty Dozen" list annually, and apples have supplanted last year's winner, celery, in the top spot. The fruits and veggies are ranked by measuring a number of variables, including the percentage of samples found to contain pesticides and the average amount of pesticides found in samples.

Apples top a new list of fruits and vegetables contaminated by pesticides. (Pears don't make the top 12.)

While the news means you should most definitely be washing your apples before you eat, the organization notes that samples are tested as they're usually eaten. In other words, apples are washed and bananas are peeled before they're tested, so preparing produce in this manner doesn't affect its ranking -- the pesticides are often absorbed into the fruit, so simply rinsing them won't make the problem go away.

How much danger is actually posed by pesticide residue is a matter of some debate. While farming trade groups insist pesticide levels are too low to have adverse effects on consumers, the EWG says pesticides in produce have been linked to such illnesses as cancer and hormone disruption. Still, it's worth noting that the organization says the health benefits of produce still outweigh the risks associated with pesticides, and that "eating conventionally grown produce is far better than skipping fruits and vegetables."

That said, if you're concerned about pesticide exposure it's best to stick to organics, EWG says, or to at least to stock up on vegetables or fruits with the lowest level of pesticide residue -- a list that includes onions, corn, pineapples and asparagus.

Here are the 12 produce items found to contain the most pesticides:

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines
7. Grapes
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/collard greens

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