Did you wash your apple before eating it? Did you at least rub it off of your shirt before eating it? It doesn’t matter anyway. Since washing alone cannot get rid of pesticides and chemicals from your apple, washing/rubbing would not accomplish the purpose of cleaning. This is no longer a herculean task. If you follow the guidelines in this study, you can enjoy chemical free apples.
Researchers used high concentrations of thiabendazole and phosmet, two common pesticides, to treat organic Gala apples in a new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Researchers soaked the chemicals for 24 hours, then used three different methods to wash them: tap water, baking soda and water mixtures, and Clorox bleach solutions similar to those used by commercial fruit producers.
Pesticide levels were monitored on the surface and inside of the fruit after each method of washing. Baking soda and water beat bleach and tap water after two minutes of cleaning, and again after eight minutes. Within 12 to 15 minutes of washing, virtually all external pesticides had been removed, as well as some that had begun to seep below the surface of the fruit. 80% of the thiabendazole with 96% of the phosmet were removed during the lengthy washing process.
Lili He, a food scientist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, says factory-level washing is ineffective if it is already effective. The simplest way to wash is with tap water at home, but we’ve also found that tap water alone isn’t as effective as baking soda. To reduce pesticide exposure further, add a little baking soda.”
Pesticide residues on apples are among the highest on the Environmental Working Group’s list of fruits. These chemicals are EPA-approved and are believed to be safe in small doses, but some research suggests it’s hard to accurately assess their impact on health over time, causing many consumers to want to limit their exposure.
He says it’s unlikely most people will have the patience to let their snack sit in baking soda for 15 minutes, but adding a sprinkle to your regular rinse is better than nothing. (She also adds that the fruit you purchase at the supermarket may have fewer pesticides on the surface than the apples in the experiment.) Peeling your fruit also helps, but it deprives you of fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in the skin.
He points out that the fruit peel has the highest concentration of nutrients, but it also contains the most pesticides. “There are always two sides to every story.”