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Page 48 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com The 10 Most Toxic Fruits and Vegetables Saving a buck by buying nonorganic produce can cost you your health. When trying to keep the grocery bill down, organic produce can seem like an indulgence you just can't afford. It's true—in most cases, you pay more for fruits and vegetables raised with the extra care it takes to protect plants without chemicals. But what are you really bringing home with those savings? Chemicals known or suspected of causing cancer, harming the brain, and interfering with growth and development— not to mention killing off bee colonies that pollinate the plants in the first place. Parents, in particular should be concerned about pesticides, experts say, because they have a more potent effect on children. In the American Academy of Pediatrics' groundbreaking statement on pesticide exposure in children, the organization warned parents of links to higher levels of childhood cancer, learning disabilities, and behavior problems. Those health problems can begin before children are even born. Stephen Rauch of British Columbia Children's Hospital studied 300 mothers exposed to organophosphate pesticides during pregnancy and found their babies were born earlier and at lower birth weights than comparable children. When it comes to pesticides, fungicides, and other chemicals, all crops are by no means equal. Here are the 10 nonorganic fruits and veggies that top the Environmental Working Group's 2014 list of worst offenders. 1. Apples This lunch bag favorite tops the EWG's list because of the chemical diphenyl- amine, which growers use to coat apples and prevent the skins from darkening from "storage scald" while in cold storage. According to USDA tests, 80 percent of the apples sampled tested positive for DPA. The European Union banned DPA in 2012 because of the risk that the chemical could combine with nitrogen to produce nitrosamines, which are known to be serious carcinogens. This spring the European Commission restricted DPA on imported fruit to 0.1 part per million; the average concentration of DPA on American apples is four times that. (Apple juice, applesauce, and some pears also tested positive for DPA.) 2. Strawberries To keep these low-lying berries pest- and disease-free, growers use fumigants, most commonly methyl bromide, chloropicrin, and Telone (1,3-D). All of these have been linked to developmental issues, cancer, and hormone disruption in children, according to the Pesticide Action Network North America. Even worse is the fumigant methyl iodide, which the EPA banned in 2012 but can still be used while farmers' stocks last.