Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog on June 18, 2025
A newcomer has been added to this year’s Dirty Dozen list. Two, actually. With good reason.
How is this list designed, and what are the differences between last year’s list and this one?
Follow along as we explore the Environmental Working Group’s 2025 Dirty Dozen List!
The Environmental Working Group, often shortened to EWG, is a non-profit organization. They educate the public and help influence changes in public health issues relating to agricultural practices, natural resource protection, and impacts of chemicals on human health.
The organization has been collecting data and organizing this Dirty Dozen list since 1995.
Each year, the organization puts together a list of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables and ranks them according to the highest levels of pesticide residues.
Pesticides are designed to reduce crop damage from insects, diseases, and weeds. However, most also impact human consumers of said produce as well.
The list is generated by looking at several factors involving detectable pesticide rates. This year, 47 conventionally grown fruits and vegetables were put to the test.
Some of the factors include:
Other factors may also be used in generating these annual lists.
Without further ado, let’s explore 2025’s Dirty Dozen list!
Potatoes have been added to this year’s list. They come in at the bottom of the dozen, but their appearance is still significant. Recent evidence put these tubers on the EWG radar.
Blueberries dropped from 2024’s 10 spot to this year’s 11 spot. EWG notes that non-organic, conventionally grown blueberries had traces of several toxic pesticides.
Some of the more common pesticides found include phosmet and malathion, a class known as organophosphate insecticides. While their target is a broad range of insects, the chemicals are also toxic to the human nervous system. Particularly the developing brains in children.
Blackberries were originally tested in 2023. But this is the first time these non-organic, conventionally grown berries have made the list.
Last year apples ranked number seven. They make the list because these non-organic, conventionally grown fruit are “doused with chemical after harvest.”
Diphenylamine is the most used chemical. Despite not being an actual pesticide (it does not kill insects, weeds, or fungal growth), is classified as a pesticide by the Environmental Protection Agency. This chemical is used in an effort to prevent their skins from developing brown or black packages in cold storage.
Despite the EPA indicating that diphenylamine treatment does not pose a risk to human health, European experts disagree. In fact, it is not approved for use in Europe. Primarily because of concerns that the chemical breaks down into cancer-causing nitrosamines when combined with nitrogen-containing compounds.
Pears dropped from number five to number eight this year. But that doesn’t mean it is that much safer. It is still on the Dirty Dozen list after all.
Fungicides put this fruit on the list. Two, in particular. Pyrimethanil and fludioxonil. These fungicides are applied late in the growing season or after harvest to keep them from spoiling in storage. Both are on the radar for reevaluation due to their potential as “hormone disruptors” and evidence of potential harm to the male reproductive system.
Other pesticides include carbendazim (a possible carcinogen and toxic to the male reproductive system), Diphenylamine (as mentioned above in apples and concern for causing toxicity when cooked), and others.
This fruit shifted from number six to number 7 on the Dirty Dozen list. Likely for the same reasons they made the cut last year.
Cherries rose from last year’s spot of number nine to number six. An indication that either additional pesticides were observed or the quantity found during analysis increased.
Peaches shifted from last year’s number four to this year’s number five. Both fungicides and insecticides are commonly found on non-organic, conventionally grown peaches.
Fludioxonil is a common fungicide, often found exceeding the maximum allowable limit established by the EPA. This chemical, based on recent research, may harm fetal development, impact the immune system, and disrupt hormone activity.
Propiconazole, another common fungicide found on peaches, is toxic to the liver and harmful to the male reproductive system.
Despite shifting from last year’s number three spot to this year’s number four spot, this fruit likely made the list for the same pesticides as last year.
These dark leafy greens made the largest jump. Last year kale, collard, and mustard greens ranked number 12. With more than half of kale samples containing potentially cancer-causing pesticides, this year’s Dirty Dozen made a significant shuffle.
One of the biggest concerns is DCPA. A chemical that, due to the significant health risks posed to farm workers (especially those who were pregnant) was issued an emergency suspension in August 2024. This chemical has been shown to reduce thyroid hormone levels in developing rat studies.
Additionally, bifenthrin and cypermethrin were also observed. These chemicals have been detected in the urine of pregnant people and have been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.
Imidacloprid was also observed in a third of kale samples. This chemical was banned in Europe due to potential harm to pollinators. However, there has also been an association to harm to the human nervous and reproductive systems.
Strawberries swapped spinach for the number two spot in this year’s Dirty Dozen list. A serious concern, since the average American consumes around eight pounds of fresh strawberries each year and around eight different pesticides were discovered on each sample.
Pesticides linked to cancer, reproductive and developmental damage, hormone disruption, and neurological problems.
Carbendazim, for example, is a fungicide commonly observed on non-organic, conventionally grown strawberries. This chemical, banned in the EU, can damage the male reproductive system and is considered a possible carcinogen.
Bifenthrin, also found on a significant number of samples, is a “possible human carcinogen.”
Rising from the number two spot, spinach now tops the Dirty Dozen list.
Non-organic, conventionally grown spinach was revealed to have more pesticide residues by weight than any other type of produce. In fact, some samples tested positive for up to 19 different pesticides.
One of the most common chemicals was permethrin, a neurotoxic insecticide banned in Europe since 2000. At high doses, permethrin “overwhelms the nervous system and causes tremors and seizures.” But even at lower levels, neurological effects have been observed in children. According to EWG, “in one study, children with detectable permethrin residues in their urine were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as those with undetectable levels of the pesticide.
Additionally, mandipropamid, fluopicolide, and ametoctradin fungicides were also found in high concentrations. More research is needed on these chemicals to determine the potential impact on human health.
Most surprisingly was the number of violations discovered. In addition to some samples observed with concentration higher than the EPA’s maximum pesticide residue limits, a significant number of pesticides were found which are banned on spinach, but legal on other food crops.
The most egregious discovery was the presence of DDT. A pesticide banned in the 1970’s!
DDT was found on 40% of non-organic, conventionally grown spinach. While this chemical was observed in much lower concentrations than other spinach pesticides, it is far more toxic to people.
Potatoes and blackberries were added to EWG’s Dirty Dozen list this year. Even at the bottom of the Dirty Dozen list, these products are fairly risky when obtained non-organic or conventionally grown.
Nearly all potato samples contained pesticides. A serious concern when you consider that these tubers are the most consumed vegetable in the U.S.
It was added to the 2025 list due to high concentrations of chlorpropham, a plant growth regulator used to prevent potatoes from sprouting during storage. This chemical is already banned in the EU due to health concerns. These results were observed, even after washing and scrubbing the samples.
While experts say that more research is needed, peer-reviewed studies have already found chlorpropham to have hormone-disrupting properties.
Despite being tested since 2023, blackberries have just joined EWG’s Dirty Dozen list. This is because nearly all samples contained at least one pesticide. Over 80% contained two or more!
There were quite a few pesticides observed.
In fact, 48 different pesticides were detected in tested non-organic, conventionally grown blackberry samples.
The most common being cypermethrin. A possible human carcinogen capable of crossing the placental barrier and harming the nervous system of a developing fetus. Studies associate the pesticide with thyroid hormone disruption as well as behavioral and attention deficit disorders.
Malathion and acetamiprid were also detected. Malathion has been shown to impact the nervous system. Particularly during early developmental periods that develop into neurodevelopmental issues later in life. In 2015, this chemical gained the “probably carcinogenic to humans” classification.
Acetamiprid is toxic to pollinators. The chemical binds to the nerve cells of the insects to kill them. In humans, acetamiprid has been associated with reproductive and neurodevelopmental impacts.
This year, two vegetables tested significantly better on pesticide and fungicide tests. Both green beans and peppers (both bell and hot) dropped ranks.
In 2024, green beans were number 11 on the Dirty Dozen list. This year they rank 34.
Additionally, bell and hot peppers ranked number eight. This year they rank 35.
The full list can be found on the EWG website.
Food is expensive. With the ever-growing grocery bill, many families are reconsidering organic options.
If I’m speaking frankly, I do buy a mix of organic and conventional produce. However, my buying decisions are heavily influenced by research and information.
Consider opting organic for items on the Dirty Dozen list.
Does this ensure that your food is chemical free?
Sadly, it does not.
Overspray, irrigation contamination, and countless other factors can impact the presence of pesticides and harmful chemicals that make their way into even organic produce.
But we do the best we can with the information and availability that we have.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Potatoes Have Been Added to the 2025 Dirty Dozen List! What Else Has Changed?,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)