See Which Fruits and Vegetables You Should Always Buy Organic

It wasn’t always a given that some of the chemicals used in American agriculture would be sprayed on farms. Organophosphate, a common class of insecticide, was experimented with as a potential chemical weapon during World War II in Nazi Germany. The nerve agent was never used in warfare, but for farmworkers who handle it and other agricultural chemicals, it’s clear that its peacetime use is still plenty threatening. Studies have linked workplace exposure—and instances of pesticide drift into farm-adjacent communities—with a range of chronic and fatal diseases, from respiratory problems to Parkinson’s disease and an array of cancers.

When these chemicals are applied to farmland to kill unwanted plants and pests, they end up on the produce that we eat too. According to USDA figures, nearly a third of conventionally grown produce contains residues of at least two types of pesticides. While buying organic fruits and vegetables is a surefire way to cut down on nearly all of those residues, shopping that way can take a hit on your wallet. So much like the Environmental Working Group with its Dirty Dozen, on Thursday Consumer Reports released a shopping guide that shows where your money is best spent on organic foods.

“We believe that organic is always the best first choice,” Urvashi Rangan, executive director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center, said in a statement. “Not only does eating organic lower your personal exposure to pesticides, but choosing organic you support a sustainable agriculture system.” Still, not all conventional crops are created—or rather, sprayed—equal. Contrary to the understanding of a third of consumers, according to a Consumer Reports survey, there is no legal limit to the number of different pesticide residues that can remain on fruits and vegetables.

The guide organizes a variety of fruits and vegetables into five categories, from very low risk to very high, based on 12 years of data compiled by the USDA Pesticide Data Program (it used the body weight of a young child for a reference point, as kids are the most adversely affected by exposure). Among the items in the very low risk category were cantaloupe, mangoes, watermelon, blueberries, winter squash, asparagus, and eggplant. For other fruits and vegetables, the risk level depends on where the crop was grown. But for 10 foods, Consumer Reports recommends that you always buy organic:

Peaches
Tangerines
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cranberries
Green Beans
Sweet Bell Peppers
Hot Peppers
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots

Original article from TakePart