Source: PixabayWith fall upon us, it is likely that we will be eating our fair share of apples, and it is even likelier still that those apples haven’t been washed thoroughly enough to remove pesticides.

To determine the best way to clean apples, University of Massachusetts chemist Lili He set out to find a solution. Looking at three different washing styles, He treated organic Gala apples with the fungicide thiabendazole and the insecticide phosmet (both EPA-approved for use on apples) and let the apples sit. After 24 hours, He’s research team applied three washing styles to the treated apples.

The three washing styles included washing with water only, washing with a bleach solution and washing with a 1 percent baking soda solution. After testing intervals of two-minute and eight-minute washes, it was determined that the solution with baking soda removed more pesticides at two minutes of washing versus the other methods. After the extended intervals of washing, the baking soda solution removed the thiabendazole and phosmet from the skin of the apple entirely.

However, according to the findings, no amount of washing prevented the pesticide from seeping through into the flesh of the apple. Although toxic in large quantities, thiabendazole and phosmet in small quantities (such as the amounts used in apple farming) are safe for human consumption.

According to the study, exposure to pesticides can be minimized by washing apples in a solution of two cups of water and one teaspoon of baking soda or switching to organic apples that are likely treated with organic pesticides.