Scientists have revealed the fruits and vegetables you may be buying that contain toxic so-called forever chemicals.
PFAS, commonly referred to as forever chemicals because they break down slowly, are synthetic chemicals that can have harmful effects in humans, including cancer, depending on the amount of exposure.
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit of advocates and scientists aimed at protecting public health, released its 2026 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce Tuesday. The EWG found pesticide residue on popular fruits and vegetables, including pesticides that are classified as forever chemicals.
The shopper’s guide includes the Dirty Dozen list of non-organic produce with the highest pesticide residues and the Clean Fifteen list of non-organic produce with minimal or no traces of pesticides. The shopper’s guide analyzes the latest Agriculture Department data.
According to the EWG, 96 percent of samples from the Dirty Dozen list contained pesticides and forever chemicals appeared on 63 percent of samples.
At the top of the Dirty Dozen list was spinach, followed by a group of kale, collard and mustard greens. The EWG said more than half of the kale samples were contaminated with DCPA, a “possibly cancer-causing pesticide.”
Several fruits were also on the list, including strawberries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, cherries, apples, blackberries and pears, respectively. Potatoes were number 11 on the list, followed by blueberries.
While it’s important to know what foods, and chemicals for that matter, you are putting into your body, the Government Accountability Office has noted that almost everyone in the U.S. has already been exposed to PFAS.
Forever chemicals are not only found in food, but in tap water and other consumer goods, including takeout containers and makeup.
The Food and Drug Administration notes that it does take action if it finds a particular food contains a level of PFAS that “indicates a health concern.”
If you are looking to shop for foods found to contain lower traces of pesticides, the EWG’s Clean Fifteen list includes pineapples at the top, followed by fresh or frozen sweet corn, avocados, papaya, onion, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, watermelon, mangoes, bananas, carrots, mushrooms and kiwi.
