.Health/ Environmental Effects Chart
Organic
Food:
Eating
with a Conscience
to protect health and the environment
Hot Peppers
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 hot peppers. While not all the pesticides on the list are applied to all hot peppers, 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: Not a major California crop.
Pesticide Tolerances - Health and environmental effects: There are 91 pesticides with established tolerance for hot peppers, 35 are acutely toxic creating a hazardous environment for farmworkers, 83 are linked to chronic health problems (such as cancer), 9 contaminate streams or groundwater, and 75 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)
Acephate (C, SW, W)
Acetamiprid (A, C, W)
Acethion
Acibenzolar-S-methyl (C, W)
Avermectin B1 (A, C, W)
Azinphos-methyl (A, C, W)
Bensulide (A, C, W)
Bentazon (C, SW, GW)
Bifenazate (C, W)
Bifenthrin (A, C, W)
Boscalid (C, W)
Buprofezin (C)
Captan (A, C, W)
Carbaryl (A, C, SW, W)
Carfentrazone-ethyl (W)
Chlorantraniliprole (C, W)
Chlorfenapyr (A, C, W)
Chlorpyrifos (A, C, SW, W, LT)
Clethodim (A, C)
Clomazone (A, C, W)
Crotoxyphos (A, C, W)
Cryolite (C)
Cyfluthrin (A, C, W)
Cymoxanil (C)
Cypermethrin (A, C, W)
Cyromazine (C)
Deltamethrin (A, C, W)
Diazinon (A, C, SW, W, LT)
Dicofol (C, W, LT)
Difenoconazole (C, W)
Diflubenzuron (C, W)
Dimethoate (A, C, W)
Dimethomorph (C, W)
Dinotefuran (C, W)
Diquat (A, C, W)
Emamectin (A, C, W)
Endosulfan (A, C, W, LT)
EPTC (C, SW, W)
Ethephon (C)
Fenamidone (C, W)
Fenamiphos (A, C, W)
Fenbuconazole (C, W)
Fenhexamid (C, W)
Fenpropathrin (A, C, W)
Fenvalerate (C, W)
Flonicamid (W)
Fluazifop-butyl (C, W)
Flubendiamide (C)
Fludioxonil (C)
Flumioxazin (C, W)
Fluopicolide (C, W)
Fluoxastrobin (C, W)
Fluridone (C, W)
Glyphosate (C, W)
Halosulfuron-methyl (C)
Imidacloprid (A, C, W)
Indoxacarb (A, C, W)
Methyl Bromide (A, C, W)
Kasugamycin (C, W)
Lambda-cyhalothrin (A, C, W)
Malathion (A, C, SW-URBAN, W)
Mandipropamid (C, W)
Maneb (C, W)
Metalaxyl (A, C, W)
Methamidophos (A, C, W)
Methomyl (A, C, W)
Methoxyfenozide (W)
Mevinphos (A, C, W)
Naled (A, C, W)
Napropamide (C, W)
Oxamyl (A, C, GW, W)
Paraquat (A, C, W)
Pendimethalin (C, W)
Phosphine (A, C)
Propamocarb hydrochloride
Pymetrozine (C)
Pyraclostrobin (C, W)
Pyridalyl (C)
Pyriproxyfen (C, W)
Quinoxyfen (C, W)
Sethoxydim (C, W)
Spinetoram (C, W)
Spinosad (C, W)
Spiromesifen (W)
Spirotetramat (C, W)
Streptomycin
Tebufenozide (W)
Thiamethoxam (C, W)
Trifloxystrobin (C, W)
Trifluralin (C, SW, GW, W, LT)
Uniconazole (C, W, LT)
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.