Pesticide residue
Encyclopedia
Pesticide residue refers to the pesticide
s that may remain on or in food after they are applied to food crops. The levels of these residues in foods is often stipulated by regulatory bodies in many countries. Exposure of the general population to these residues most commonly occurs through consumption of treated food sources, or being in close contact to areas treated with pesticides such as farms or lawns around houses.
Many of these chemical residues, especially derivatives of chlorinated pesticides, exhibit bioaccumulation
which could build up to harmful levels in the body as well as in the environment. Persistent chemicals can be magnified through the food chain, and have been detected in products ranging from meat, poultry, and fish, to vegetable oils, nuts, and various fruits and vegetables.
develops the standards for levels of pesticide residues in foods through a consultation process. The New Zealand Food Safety Authority
publishes the maximum limits of pesticide residues for foods produced in New Zealand.
, and measures are taken to keep pesticide residues below the tolerances. The US EPA has a web page for the allowable tolerances. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and USDA also routinely check food for the actual levels of pesticide residues.
There are also studies that show positive correlations between exposure to pesticides through occupational hazard, which tends to be significantly higher than that ingested by the general population through food, and the occurrence of certain cancers. Even though the majority of the general population may not come in direct contact with large quantities of pesticides, many of the pesticide residues that are ingested tend to be lipophilic and can bioaccumulate in the body. Concerns have been raised about the possible role of continuous low-dosage exposure in causing certain cancers.
On the other hand, pesticide use has proven to be a valuable tool in combatting disease vectors that spread illness to millions of children and adults each year. They are used in many developing countries to prevent the spread of malaria, leishmaniasis, dengue, and Japanese encephalitis which have an enormous economical burden on society.
These foods, referred to as the "Dirty Dozen" readily absorb pesticides and retain them, so even if washed, they will still have noticeable levels of residues. The ability of a fruit or vegetable to retain or repel pesticides is dependent on its outer shell or protectie layer. Fruits such as strawberries are more likely to absorb and retain pesticides than pineapples are.
Dirty Dozen:
Clean Fifteen:
techniques, organic produce showed about 50% less residue.
Organic produce has also been shown to generally have a greater level of iron, magnesium, vitamin C, phosphorous, and antioxidant phytochemicals.
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s that may remain on or in food after they are applied to food crops. The levels of these residues in foods is often stipulated by regulatory bodies in many countries. Exposure of the general population to these residues most commonly occurs through consumption of treated food sources, or being in close contact to areas treated with pesticides such as farms or lawns around houses.
Many of these chemical residues, especially derivatives of chlorinated pesticides, exhibit bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which the substance is lost...
which could build up to harmful levels in the body as well as in the environment. Persistent chemicals can be magnified through the food chain, and have been detected in products ranging from meat, poultry, and fish, to vegetable oils, nuts, and various fruits and vegetables.
European Union
In September 2008, the European Union issued new and revised Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for the roughly 1,100 pesticides ever used in the world. The revision was intended to simplify the previous system, under which certain pesticide residues were regulated by the Commission, others were regulated by Member States, and others were not regulated at all.New Zealand
Food Standards Australia New ZealandFood Standards Australia New Zealand
Food Standards Australia New Zealand is the governmental body responsible for developing food standards for Australia and New Zealand .FSANZ develops food standards after consulting with other government agencies and stakeholders...
develops the standards for levels of pesticide residues in foods through a consultation process. The New Zealand Food Safety Authority
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority , or Te Pou Oranga Kai O Aotearoa is the New Zealand government body responsible for food safety...
publishes the maximum limits of pesticide residues for foods produced in New Zealand.
United Kingdom
Monitoring of pesticide residues in the UK began in the 1950s. From 1977 to 2000 the work was carried out by the Working Party on Pesticide Residues (WPPR), until in 2000 the work was taken over by the Pesticide Residue Committee (PRC). The PRC advise the government through the Pesticides Safety Directorate and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).United States
In the US, tolerances for the amount of pesticide residue that may remain on food are set by the EPAUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
, and measures are taken to keep pesticide residues below the tolerances. The US EPA has a web page for the allowable tolerances. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) and USDA also routinely check food for the actual levels of pesticide residues.
Health Impacts
Many pesticides achieve their intended use of killing pests, by disrupting the nervous system. Due to similarities in brain biochemistry among many different organisms, there is much speculation that these chemicals can have a negative impact on humans as well.There are also studies that show positive correlations between exposure to pesticides through occupational hazard, which tends to be significantly higher than that ingested by the general population through food, and the occurrence of certain cancers. Even though the majority of the general population may not come in direct contact with large quantities of pesticides, many of the pesticide residues that are ingested tend to be lipophilic and can bioaccumulate in the body. Concerns have been raised about the possible role of continuous low-dosage exposure in causing certain cancers.
On the other hand, pesticide use has proven to be a valuable tool in combatting disease vectors that spread illness to millions of children and adults each year. They are used in many developing countries to prevent the spread of malaria, leishmaniasis, dengue, and Japanese encephalitis which have an enormous economical burden on society.
Child neurodevelopment
Children are thought to be especially vulnerable to exposure to pesticide residues, especially if exposure occurs at critical windows of development. Due to the greater intake of food relative to bodyweight in children, bioaccumulation effects can prove to be especially harmful. Neurotoxins, and other chemicals that originate from pesticides pose the biggest threat to the developing human brain and nervous system. Since precise spacial and temporal information must be communicated between cells for the proper development of the human CNS, disruptions in the form of miscommunication or damage to neurons can result in permanent and irreversible damages. Presence of pesticide metabolites in urine samples have been implicated in disorders such as: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, behavioral and emotional problems, and delays in development. There is a lack of evidence of a direct cause and effect relationship between long-term, low-dose exposure to pesticide residues and neurological disease, partly because manufacturers are not always legally required to examine potential long-term threats."Dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen"
According to the Environmental Working Group choosing to buy certain organic food can significantly lower residue exposure by as much as about 90%. The group came up with a list of fruits and vegetable that are recommended to avoid as they are known to contain high levels of pesticide residues.These foods, referred to as the "Dirty Dozen" readily absorb pesticides and retain them, so even if washed, they will still have noticeable levels of residues. The ability of a fruit or vegetable to retain or repel pesticides is dependent on its outer shell or protectie layer. Fruits such as strawberries are more likely to absorb and retain pesticides than pineapples are.
Dirty Dozen:
- celery
- peaches
- strawberries
- apples
- domestic blueberries
- nectarines
- sweet bell peppers
- spinach, kale and collard greens
- cherries
- potatoes
- imported grapes
- lettuce
Clean Fifteen:
- onions
- avocados
- sweet corn
- pineapples
- mango
- sweet peas
- asparagus
- kiwi fruit
- cabbage
- eggplant
- cantaloupe
- watermelon
- grapefruit
- sweet potatoes
- sweet onions
Organic food vs Commercial
Even though some organic foods contain significantly less amounts of pesticides than commercially produced products, they still contain certain amounts of residue levels that are persistent in the environment. The methods of organic farming prohibit the use of pesticides, however certain chemicals could be persistent in the soil, reach the organic produce via pesticide drift from nearby farms, or contaminate produce during transportation to the consumer. It was found that produce grown using organic methods had one third the amount of pesticide residue that was available in commercially produced food. Also, in comparison to food that was grown using Integrated pest managementIntegrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management is an ecological approach to agricultural pest control that integrates pesticides/herbicides into a management system incorporating a range of practices for economic control of a pest...
techniques, organic produce showed about 50% less residue.
Organic produce has also been shown to generally have a greater level of iron, magnesium, vitamin C, phosphorous, and antioxidant phytochemicals.
Minimizing exposure to pesticide residues
In addition to choosing to buy organic produce, there are certain measures that can be taken to minimize exposure to harmful residues: certain washes are available that remove chemical residues, peeling fruits and vegetables that have known high levels of pesticide residues, and growing your own essential produce.See also
- Food safetyFood safetyFood safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....
- Environmental effects of pesticidesEnvironmental effects of pesticidesThe environmental impact of pesticides is often greater than what is intended by those who use them. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including nontarget species, air, water, bottom sediments, and food...
- Environmental issues with agricultureEnvironmental issues with agricultureThe environmental impact of agriculture varies based on the wide variety of agricultural practices employed around the world.-Climate change:Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes, both of which take place on a global scale...
- List of environmental issues