Green vegetables are an indispensable food in the human diet. However, choosing which vegetables are nutritious, safe for health, and do not contain pesticide residues is a problem that makes people have a headache.

The "Dirty Dozen" list of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) (USA) has pointed out a number of vegetables with high pesticide residues that people should limit their use. This list is the result of in-depth research by EWG.

In the list, there are 3 types of green vegetables found to have high pesticide residues that need to be noted when using.

Spinach

Spinach is a vegetable with high nutritional value, containing a lot of fiber and antioxidants that are good for the body. Therefore, many people like to add this vegetable to their diet. However, according to the EWG, spinach has higher pesticide residues than many other vegetables.

In 2016, the United States Department of Agriculture analyzed 642 samples of common spinach. Of these, about 7 types of pesticides were detected. Some samples recorded residues of 19 different types of pesticides.

76% of spinach samples tested contained permethrin. This is a neurotoxic pesticide that has been banned from use on food crops in Europe since 2000. If exposed to high doses of permethrin, the nervous system will be overloaded, causing tremors and convulsions. At low doses, this substance also causes neurological problems in young children.

In addition, other dangerous fungicides and pesticides have been found on spinach.

Vegetables such as kale, broccoli, mustard greens

Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, broccoli, mustard greens are foods with high nutritional value, containing many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These vegetables are delicious, nutritious, and can be used in many attractive dishes, but they are high in pesticide residues.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, nearly 60% of kale samples sold in the country contain pesticide residues. Notably, this pesticide has been classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as having the ability to stimulate the growth of cancer cells.

Woodbeans

Woodbeans are one of the foods with the most pesticides in 2024. According to EWG's assessment of the tested samples, yardbeans contain two highly toxic pesticides, acephate or methamidophos. These substances are both harmful to the nervous system. Some samples also contain acephate levels 500 times higher than the EPA's limit.

Some yardbean samples tested also contained 94 different pesticides. In addition, some samples contained bifenthrin and carbendazim. These are substances that can cause K.