In 1994, 11,348 samples were
analysed in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Of
these, 5,474 were domestic and 5,874 were imports. Residues were found
in 37% of domestic surveillance samples and 33% of imported samples.
Less than 1% of samples were above the tolerance (or maximum residue
limit) level for both groups. The US FDA lists 329 pesticides that are
detectable by current analytical techniques, and in this survey, a
total of 94 were actually found. The most frequently occurring
pesticides in descending order were: malathion, chlor-pyriphos-methyl,
DDE,p,p’, chlorpyriphos, endosulfan, dieldrin, chlorpropham,
methamidophos, diazinon and carbaryl.
Pesticide program, residue
monitoring 1994, Food and Drug Administration, Washington DC 20204,
US, 1995, 24pp.
| Commodity food group | No.
of samples |
Samples with residue % |
Above tolerance % |
No
tolerance set—% |
|
Grains and grain products (US) |
529 | 39 | <1 | 1 |
|
Grains and grain products (import) |
266 | 35 | 0 | 2 |
| Milk/dairy products/eggs (US) | 680 | 7 | 0 | <1 |
| Milk/dairy products /eggs (import) | 107 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Fish/shellfish (US) | 807 | 41 | 0 | <1 |
| Fish/shellfish (import) | 326 | 15 | 0 | <1 |
| Fruits (US) | 1,411 | 56 | <1 | <1 |
| Fruits (import) | 1,940 | 42 | <1 | 3 |
| Vegetables (US) | 1,795 | 34 | <1 | 2 |
| Vegetables (import) | 2,460 | 30 | <1 | 4 |
| Other (US) | 144 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Other (import) | 349 | 22 | 0 | 4 |
| Total (US) | 5,366 | 37 | <1 | <1 |
| Total (import) | 5,448 | 33 | <1 | 3 |
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 31,March 1996, page 19]