Does Rinsing Apples Remove Pesticides?

It’s time for apples and we can't wait to dig into sauces and pies (and fritters). Unfortunately, apples are routinely sprayed with pesticides to control a variety of insects and diseases. To avoid pesticide residues, washing the fruit is recommended; but does washing remove all the residues?
Agri-Food Canada Researchers sampled apples directly from orchards which were sprayed with one of three common organophosphate insecticides. Apples received one of three post-harvest treatments: no treatment, rinsed with deonized water, rinsed and peeled.
It was found that rinsing apples only lowered the pesticide concentrations 13.5 to 28.7 percent. Rinsing and peeling the apples lowered the levels significantly -- 74.5 to 97.9 percent. This study suggests that to significantly reduce your exposure to pesticides on apples, it’s best to rinse and peel them before eating.
For more information on this research, go to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.