Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am working on a science project. It is related to harmful effects of pesticides and the certain chemicals that are not removed even by washing from the skins of fruits and vegetables. I wanted to know what these chemicals are and what makes them persist.
My idea is that like for washing oil and dirt, soap is used because it can clean by forming micelles. I was wondering if a certain substance can be created for removing pesticides.

Thank you.

Hi. That sounds like a great topic to explore for your project. I just did a google search for "how do I clean my fruit to remove pesticides?" and found a few great articles from people who write blogs about natural/organic living. Some of these reference using a vinegar solution. I also did a search on "what pesticides are on my fruit?" and found a consumer reports article that might be helpful for you - so you can first research what pesticides you might find (and this will depend on the type of fruit you decide to use), then look into the chemical attributes of these pesticides (soluble in water, etc), then determine what solutions you might use to clean the fruit.

How do you plan to test that the pesticides have come off?

Tonya