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This post was written by Pooja Mottl.

Today’s Healthy Monday tip: Go organic whenever you can.

The buzz surrounding pesticides rages on as an increasingly larger amount (including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) continues to be used all over the world. Today, more than 5.0 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year, mainly in the agriculture market. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States alone accounted for more than 20% of worldwide pesticide used in 2001 and was responsible for nearly a quarter of the world’s herbicide usage.

That’s a lot. And even more startling is the fact that pesticide use is said to be increasing even among genetically modified/biotech crops — crops which have been engineered by the likes of Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta to actually reduce the need for pesticide applications. In other words, the riddance of weeds, insects and other pests gradual gives way over time as pests become more resistant to the chemical makeup of the crops. A study released in February by the Center for Food Safety found that GM crops have actually increased pesticide use and helped the spread of what they call “superweeds”.

Given the great scale of this industry, regulation seems to be critical. So who is in charge of its oversight?

The EPA is our government’s regulating body in the pesticide market. The agency is in charge of accepting and registering a particular pesticide before the selling or distribution of any product. However, earlier this year, as mentioned over at Gristmill, funding for a vital government program, the Agriculture Chemical Usage Program, a collection tool that tested levels of pesticides in fruits, vegetables and field was cut out of the budget according to the USDA, the entity that administered the 18-year-old program. Tragically, the EPA relied upon this very data as a resource to set safe limits of pesticide usage.

This decision is shocking to a ream of sustainable food advocates and organizations such as the Union of Concerned Scientists which drafted an open letter in response to the government’s actions citing that the “elimination of the program will severely hamper the efforts of the USDA, the EPA, land grant scientists, and state officials to perform pesticide risk assessments and make informed policy decisions on pesticide use.”

These recent actions combined with the fact that increasing evidence from research suggests that even low, trace levels of pesticides can have an effect on human health, should propel our focus and awareness on pesticides. While there is insufficient proof linking the substance to cancer and other human harm, there is no conclusive evidence to repudiate this claim (particularly over longer periods of time). The Environmental Working Group notes that the more “scientists learn about the toxicity of pesticides, the more questions are raised about the potential toxic effects on people”.

A now well-known study conducted by the EWG that analyzed the results of nearly 51,000 tests conducted by the USDA and FDA between 2000 and 2005 provides us with an easy, go-to list for uncovering how much pesticide is actually used and detected in conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. The EWG coined the worst 12 varieties of produce the “dirty dozen”:

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes (imported)
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes

Consequently, until further notice, reducing exposure to pesticides is not only smart, but also the safest, most prudent way to ensure our long-term health. As we continue to spread the word on eating organic and uncovering what is truly going on with trends and methods in pesticide manufacturing and usage, we must keep in mind that lack of evidence does not equate to guaranteed safety!