(NewsNation) — Simply washing your fruit isn’t enough to completely remove certain chemicals, according to a new study.
“Cleaning operations cannot wholly remove pesticides,” the study published this month in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters noted.
Researchers used imaging technology to examine apples and found that pesticides can penetrate both the peel and the pulp layers. However, when the peel and top layer of the pulp were removed, pesticides decreased significantly.
The authors of the study said the goal is not to scare consumers, but to make sure they provide guidance on how to deal with pesticides on produce.
“This study, situated within the expansive realm of food safety, endeavors to furnish health guidance to consumers,” Dongdong Ye, an author of the study and a professor at the School of Materials and Chemistry at Anhui Agricultural University in China, told The Guardian.
“Rather than fostering undue apprehension, the research posits that peeling can effectively eliminate nearly all pesticide residues, contrasted with the frequently recommended practice of washing,” Ye added.
The Environmental Protection Agency said that finding pesticide residues on fruits or vegetables doesn’t necessarily mean they are harmful.
“Very small amounts of pesticides that may remain in or on fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods decrease considerably as crops are harvested, transported, exposed to light, washed, prepared and cooked. The presence of a detectible pesticide residue does not mean the residue is at an unsafe level,” the EPA notes on its website.
The agency also said tolerance levels allowed for pesticides are routinely reviewed.
Nexstar’s Ashleigh Jackson and Celeste Houmard contributed to this report.