Washing Fruit Fails to Remove Hidden Pesticides, Researchers Find

A new study has confirmed that washing fruit is not sufficient to eliminate toxic chemicals and pesticide residues sprayed by farmers.

Published recently in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters, the study revealed that the health risks associated with pesticides do not disappear simply by washing fruit. In fact, people may be consuming contaminated produce on a daily basis.

While the researchers aimed to share a new technique to improve pesticide detection in food products, their findings also demonstrated that washing alone cannot completely remove these chemicals. The study stated that “washing cannot fully eliminate pesticide residues from fruit.”

During their examination of pesticide contamination in apples, the researchers found that the chemicals had penetrated the peel and reached the underlying flesh. However, when the peel and the outer layer of the flesh were removed, contamination levels dropped significantly.

Dongdong Yi, professor at the College of Materials and Chemistry at Anhui Agricultural University and lead author of the study, advised consumers to peel their fruit rather than panic.

The research suggests that peeling fruit is a much more effective way to remove pesticide residues compared with repeated washing—though it does reduce the fruit’s overall nutritional value.