Arsenic in Fruits, Juices, and Vegetables

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Be Proactive

• Keep eating fruits and vegetables, since they are so good for your health.
• Review “Where is the arsenic?” below, to learn where the arsenic goes in the plants you like to eat.
• Vary the fruits and vegetables that you eat, particularly if you are exposed to arsenic through private well water, other foods or other sources. Some fruits and veggies have more arsenic than others, so you don’t want to eat too much of any one kind.
• Always wash all fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking them and if you can, scrub them with a brush to help you get rid of any soil with arsenic in it.

If You Grow Your Own

• Test your soil for arsenic and other metals.
• Talk with your town, city or state health department or Cooperative Extension Service to ask about soil testing procedures.
• Remove soil, wash fruits and vegetables before bringing them into your home, then scrub with a brush.
• If you are a home gardener in an area with high arsenic in the soil (see locations with higher risk of arsenic exposure), limit the amount of lettuce, radishes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage you eat.
• The Garden Roots project at the University of Arizona provides more information on growing your own garden safely.

Lower the Juice

• Limit children’s fruit juice consumption to 4-6 ounces a day or less, or eat whole fruits instead. Review information from the U.S Food and Drug Administration (scroll to “FDA Monitoring and Testing of Arsenic in Food…”) on apple and pear juice, and from Consumer Reports on metals in some fruit juices. Some juices, like apple, pear or grape, can have higher amounts of arsenic.