.Health/ Environmental Effects Chart
Organic
Food:
Eating
with a Conscience
to protect health and the environment
Apples
Below are the pesticides with established tolerances (residue limits for pesticides used in the U.S. or by countries exporting to the U.S.) for apples. While not all the pesticides on the list are applied to all apples, there is no way to tell which pesticides are applied to any given piece of conventional produce on your store shelf. You may consider talking to the farmers at your local farmers market about the pesticides they use, but eating organic is the only way to know for sure.
California Farmworker Poisonings, 1992-2007: 82 reported (CA acreage: 20,500). These poisoning incidents only represent the tip of the iceberg because it only reflects reported incidents in one state. It is widely recognized that pesticide incidents are underreported and often misdiagnosed.
Pesticide Tolerances - Health and environmental effects: The database shows that while apples grown with toxic chemicals show low pesticide residues on the finished commodity, there are 109 pesticides with established tolerance for apples, 38 are acutely toxic creating a hazardous environment for farmworkers, 90 are linked to chronic health problems (such as cancer), 9 contaminate streams or groundwater, and 90 are poisonous to wildlife.
(A = acute health effects, C = chronic health effects, SW = surface water contaminant, GW = ground water contaminant, W = wildlife or bee poison, LT = long-range transport)
1-naphthaleneacetic acid (A)
2,4-D (C, SW, W)
Acequinocyl (W)
Acetamiprid (A, C, W)
Avermectin B1 (A, C, W)
Aviglycine (W)
Azinphos-methyl (A, C, W)
Bifenazate (C, W)
Boscalid (C, W)
Buprofezin (C)
Captan (A, C, W)
Carbaryl (A, C, SW, W)
Carfentrazone-ethyl (W)
Chlorantraniliprole (C, W)
Chlorpyrifos (A, C, SW, W, LT)
Clofentezine (C)
Clothianidin (A, C, W)
Cyfluthrin (A, C, W)
Cypermethrin (A, C, W)
Cyprodinil (W)
Deltamethrin (A, C, W)
Diazinon (A, C, SW, W, LT)
Dichlobenil (C, W)
Dicofol (C, W, LT)
Difenoconazole (C, W)
Dinocap (A, C, W)
Diquat (A, C, W)
Dithianon (C, W)
Diuron (C, SW, W)
Dodine (A, W)
Emamectin (A, C, W)
Endosulfan (A, C, W, LT)
Ethephon (C)
Etoxazole (C)
Fenarimol (C, W)
Fenazaquin (A)
Fenbuconazole (C, W)
Fenbutatin-oxide (A, C, W)
Fenpropathrin (A, C, W)
Fenpyroximate
Fenvalerate (C, W)
Ferbam (W)
Flonicamid (W)
Flubendiamide (C)
Fludioxonil (C)
Flufenoxuron (C, W)
Flumioxazin (C, W)
Fluridone (C, W)
Fluroxypyr (C, W)
Folpet (C, W)
Formetanate hydrochloride (C, W)
Fosetyl-aluminium (A, C)
Gentamicin
Glufosinate ammonium (C, W)
Glyphosate (C, W)
Hexythiazox (C)
Imidacloprid (A, C, W)
Indoxacarb (A, C, W)
Methyl Bromide (A, C, W)
Kresoxim-methyl (C, W)
Lambda-cyhalothrin (A, C, W)
Malathion (A, C, SW-URBAN, W)
Mancozeb (C, W)
Maneb (C, W)
Metalaxyl (A, C, W)
Methidathion (A, C, W)
Methomyl (A, C, W)
Methoxyfenozide (W)
Myclobutanil (C, W)
Norflurazon (C, GW, W)
Novaluron (W)
O-Naphthaleneacetamide
O-Phenylphenol (C, W)
Oryzalin (C, W)
Oxamyl (A, C, GW, W)
Oxyfluorfen (C, W)
Oxytetracycline (C)
Paraquat (A, C, W)
Pendimethalin (C, W)
Permethrin (A, C, W)
Phosalone (A, C, W)
Phosmet (A, C, W)
Piperonyl butoxide (C, W)
Prohexadione-calcium
Propyzamide (C, W)
Pyraclostrobin (C, W)
Pyrethrins (C, W)
Pyridaben (A, W)
Pyrimethanil (C, W)
Pyriproxyfen (C, W)
Rimsulfuron
Sethoxydim (C, W)
Simazine (C, SW, GW, W)
Spinosad (C, W)
Spirodiclofen (C, W)
Spirotetramat (C, W)
Streptomycin
Tebuconazole (A, C, W)
Tebufenozide (W)
Terbacil (C)
Thiabendazole (C, W)
Thiacloprid (A, C)
Thiamethoxam (C, W)
Thiophanate-methyl (C, W)
Thiram (C, W)
Tolylfluanid (C, W)
Trifloxystrobin (C, W)
Triflumizole (C, W)
Ziram (A, C, W)
All tolerance data is based on the Environmental Protection Agency's Tolerances by Commodity, Crop Group, or Crop Subgroup Index (last updated July 2009). For more information, see our Methodology page.