If you bought strawberries or spinach at the grocery store this week, there’s a good chance you brought home more than a healthy snack.
On March 24, 2026, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) published its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce — and the findings hit differently this year. For the first time, the report flagged that 63% of all Dirty Dozen samples contained PFAS “forever chemicals” — a class of synthetic compounds linked to cancer, thyroid disease, hormone disruption, and immune damage.
That’s not a trace amount. That’s the majority of the most popular fruits and vegetables in American refrigerators.
The good news: you don’t have to stop eating produce, and you don’t have to go fully organic overnight. What you do need is a smarter way to clean what you bring home. This post covers what the EWG actually found, why a quick rinse under the tap isn’t cutting it, and what ozone-based produce washing can do that water alone cannot.
In This Article
What Is the EWG Dirty Dozen?
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit research organization that has published its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce since 1995. Each year, EWG analysts review pesticide residue data collected by the USDA from tens of thousands of produce samples — testing fruit and vegetables after they’ve been washed and peeled the way a typical consumer would prepare them at home.
The Dirty Dozen is the list of the 12 most pesticide-contaminated items from that dataset. It’s not about whether a pesticide is present at all — it’s about the number of different pesticides detected, the frequency of detection, and the concentration levels.
The counterpart — the Clean Fifteen — highlights produce with the lowest pesticide loads. Items like avocados, pineapple, and onions consistently appear there.
The 2026 Dirty Dozen List
This year, EWG analyzed 54,344 samples across 47 fruits and vegetables. Pesticide residues were detected on 96% of all Dirty Dozen samples — and a total of 203 different pesticides were found across the 12 items on the list.
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, Collard & Mustard Greens
- Grapes
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Apples
- Blackberries
- Pears
- Potatoes
- Blueberries
The PFAS finding: What makes 2026’s report especially significant is the PFAS data. Three of the ten most commonly detected pesticides on produce meet the internationally recognized definition of PFAS — “forever chemicals” that do not break down in the environment or the human body. The most frequently detected was fludioxonil, a PFAS fungicide found in 14% of all produce samples tested — and in nearly 90% of peach and plum samples.
PFAS have been linked by the EPA and independent researchers to cancer, liver damage, fertility issues, thyroid disruption, elevated cholesterol, and immune system suppression. Unlike other pesticide residues, PFAS do not degrade. What goes in, stays in.
Does Washing Produce Actually Help?
The honest answer: a little — but far less than most people assume.
Running produce under cold tap water for 30 seconds does remove some surface dirt and a portion of water-soluble pesticide residues. It is still the baseline recommendation from the FDA and USDA, and it is better than nothing.
But water washing has hard limits:
- Hydrophobic pesticides — many agricultural chemicals are oil-based, meaning water simply does not bond to them.
- Systemic pesticides — some compounds are absorbed directly into the plant tissue during growth.
- Wax coatings — commercial produce is routinely coated in food-grade wax that seals residues beneath it.
- PFAS-based fungicides — by their very chemical nature, PFAS compounds are resistant to breakdown.
Produce washes and vegetable soaps? The FDA does not recommend them, and peer-reviewed research has found they perform no better than plain water.
How Ozone Washing Works
Ozone (O₃) is a molecule made of three oxygen atoms. In nature, it forms in the upper atmosphere and after lightning strikes — that clean, sharp smell after a thunderstorm is ozone.
Ozone is an aggressive oxidizer. When dissolved in water and applied to produce, ozone molecules break apart and release a highly reactive oxygen atom. This atom attacks the molecular structure of pesticide residues — oxidizing and degrading them into inert byproducts that rinse away cleanly.
A study published in ScienceDirect found ozone treatment reduced pesticide residues between 46% and 98.6% depending on the compound, with longer treatment times producing the highest degradation rates.
Beyond pesticides, ozone in water:
- Breaks down wax coatings — disrupts the polymer structure of post-harvest waxes
- Kills surface bacteria and pathogens — effective against E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and mold
- Leaves zero residue — ozone reverts naturally back to ordinary oxygen (O₂) within minutes
How to Clean Your Produce at Home
Step 1: Start with a cold rinse
Rinse produce under cold running water to remove loose dirt and debris.
Step 2: Use the OzoCleanse produce washer
Fill the OzoCleanse basin with cold water and add your produce. Set the device and let it run for 10 to 15 minutes. The OzoCleanse generates dissolved ozone directly in the water and circulates it across every surface of your produce — without any chemicals, soaps, or additives.
When the cycle ends, the ozone has already converted back to oxygen. Your produce is clean, chemical-free, and ready to eat or store.
Step 3: Rinse once more and dry
A final quick rinse and pat dry completes the process.
What the OzoCleanse handles that water cannot:
- Hydrophobic pesticide residues (oil-based, water-resistant)
- PFAS fungicide residues including fludioxonil
- Commercial post-harvest wax coatings
- Surface bacteria, mold spores, and pathogens
- Residues on delicate produce (berries, greens) that can’t be scrubbed
No chemicals. No special bags. No produce wash subscription. Just water, ozone, and 15 minutes.
Learn more about OzoCleanse on the product page →
Eat More Produce. Worry Less About What’s on It.
The EWG’s 2026 Dirty Dozen report is not a reason to stop eating strawberries or avoid spinach. The goal is not fear — it’s informed action.
Water rinsing is a start, but the 2026 data makes clear it is not enough on its own. PFAS fungicides, hydrophobic pesticides, and wax-sealed residues require something stronger than a tap and a 30-second rinse.
Ozone washing is the upgrade your kitchen routine needs. It takes 15 minutes, it requires nothing but water, and it delivers the level of clean that makes buying the conventional strawberries at your grocery store a legitimate choice — not a compromise.
The OzoCleanse WO1 produce washer is available now at powerscale.us and on Amazon.
Sources: EWG 2026 Shopper’s Guide | CNN: 2026 Dirty Dozen | ScienceDirect: Ozone Pesticide Removal | PMC: Ozone Review | NPIC: Washing Produce