Pesticide Data Program Reports Virtually No Pesticide Exceedances for 2001
The Pesticide Data Program (PDP) was initiated by USDA in May 1991 to collect data on pesticide residues in foods. These data are used by the EPA and USDA, as well as the private sector, to construct realistic pesticide dietary exposure assessments as part of the ongoing effort of the Food Quality Protection Act. In 2001, drinking water samples were also collected and analyzed. The foods sampled by the program tend to concentrate on those items typically consumed by infants and children. Samples are randomly collected close to the time and point of consumption. The monthly sampling rate is 62 samples per commodity, except for highly seasonal commodities. Of the 12,264 samples collected in 2001, 9,903 were fruit and vegetable commodities including canned sweet pea, canned sweet corn, tomato paste, fresh apple, banana, broccoli, carrot, celery, cherry, grape, green bean, lettuce, mushroom, nectarine, orange, peach, pineapple, and potato. There were 689 rice samples analyzed, 911 beef samples, 464 poultry samples, and 297 drinking water samples. Approximately 82 percent of the samples were domestic and 17 percent were imported (mostly banana, pineapple, peach, grape, and green bean).
Approximately 64 percent of the fruit and vegetable samples (domestic and imported), 49 percent of the drinking water samples, and 19 percent of the beef tissue samples had detectable residues. Residues in beef were almost entirely from persistent chemicals which have been canceled for agricultural use for many years. There were no detectable residues in poultry samples.
Overall, approximately 44 percent of the food samples and 41 percent of the water samples contained no detectable residues. For food and water combined, twenty-four percent contained one residue and 32 percent contained more than one residue. No residues were found in processed peas and only two samples of canned corn contained residues (out of over 180 samples of both). Approximately 70 percent of tomato paste and rice samples contained no residues. For drinking water, none of the detections exceeded established EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels or Health Advisory levels. With regard to pesticide tolerances, PDP testing found residues exceeding an established tolerance in 0.1 percent (1 in 1,000) of the 12,264 samples analyzed (roughly 12 samples). Residues with no established tolerance were found in 1.8 percent of all samples, but were found in such minute quantities that exposure was probably due to spray drift or crop rotation. (PDP Annual Summary Calendar Year 2001 Report, USDA, February 2003).
Editor’s note: The fact that nearly half of our food stream contains no detectable residues under current practices demonstrates a huge commitment to IPM and sound pest management practices. The PDP program authenticates the farmer’s hard work.
