Decontamination Of Pesticide Residues In The Environment

That residues of pesticide and other "foreign" chemicals in food stuffs are of concern to everyone everywhere is amply attested by the reception accorded previous volumes of "Residue Reviews" and by the gratifying enthusiasm, sincerity, and efforts shown by all the in dividuals from whom manuscripts have been solicited. Despite much propaganda to the contrary, there can never be any serious question that pest-control chemicals and food-additive chemicals are essential to adequate food production, manufacture, marketing, and storage, yet without continuing surveillance and intelligent control some of those that persist in our foodstuffs could at times conceivably endanger the public health. Ensuring safety-in-use of these many chemicals is a dynamic challenge, for established ones are continually being dis placed by newly developed ones more acceptable to food tech nologists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and changing pest-control requirements in progressive food-producing economies. These matters are of genuine concern to increasing numbers of governmental agencies and legislative bodies around the world, for some of these chemicals have resulted in a few mishaps from improper use. Adequate safety-in-use evaluations of any of these chemicals per sisting into our foodstuffs are not simple matters, and they incorporate the considered judgments of many individuals highly trained in a variety of complex biological, chemical, food technological, medical, pharmacological, and toxicological disciplines.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology publishes authoritative reviews on the occurrence, effects, and fate of pesticide residues and other environmental contaminants. It will keep you informed of the latest significant issues by providing in-depth information in the areas of analytical chemistry, agricultural microbiology, biochemistry, human and veterinary medicine, toxicology, and food technology.

That residues of pesticide and other contaminants in the total environ ment are of concern to everyone everywhere is attested by the reception accorded previous volumes of "Residue Reviews" and by the gratifying enthusiasm, sincerity, and efforts shown by all the individuals from whom manuscripts have been solicited. Despite much propaganda to the contrary, there can never be any serious question that pest-control chemicals and food-additive chemicals are essential to adequate food production, manu facture, marketing, and storage, yet without continuing surveillance and intelligent control some of those that persist in our foodstuffs could at times conceivably endanger the public health. Ensuring safety-in-use of these many chemicals is a dynamic challenge, for established ones are continually being displaced by newly developed ones more acceptable to food technologists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and changing pest-con trol requirements in progressive food-producing economies. These matters are of genuine concern to increasing numbers of govern mental agencies and legislative bodies around the world, for some of these chemicals have resulted in a few mishaps from improper use. Adequate safety-in-use evaluations of any of these chemicals persisting into our food stuffs are not simple matters, and they incorporate the considered judg ments of many individuals highly trained in a variety of complex biol ogical, chemical, food technological, medical, pharmacological, and toxi cological disciplines.

That residues of pesticide and other contaminants in the total environ ment are of concern to everyone everywhere is attested by the reception accorded previous volumes of "Residue Reviews" and by the gratifying enthusiasm, sincerity, and efforts shown by all the individuals from whom manuscripts have been solicited. Despite much propaganda to the con trary, there can never be any serious question that pest-control chemicals and food-additive chemicals are essential to adequate food production, manufacture, marketing, and storage, yet without continuing surveillance and intelligent control some of those that persist in our foodstuffs could at times conceivably endanger the public health. Ensuring safety-in-use of these many chemicals is a dynamic challenge, for established ones are continually being displaced by newly developed ones more acceptable to food technologists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and changing pest control requirements in progressive food-producing economies. These matters are of genuine concern to increasing numbers of gov ernmental agencies and legislative bodies around the world, for some of these chemicals have resulted in a few mishaps from improper use. Ade quate safety-in-use evaluations of any of these chemicals persisting into our foodstuffs are not simple matters, and they incorporate the considered judgments of many individuals highly trained in a variety of complex biological, chemical, food technological, medical, pharmacological, and toxicological disciplines.

The persistent organic pesticides have saved millions of lives by controlling human disease vectors and by greatly increasing the yields of agricultural crops. However, in recent years man has become ever more conscious of the way in which his environment is becoming increasingly polluted by chemicals that may harm plants, animals or even himself. Amongst these chemicals the organochlorine insecticides have been well to the fore as a major cause of anxiety to ecologists, not only because they persist so long, but also because of the readiness with which they are taken up into the bodies of living organisms, especially the fatty tissues of both animals and humans. The extent and seriousness of the potential hazards due to these chemicals still remains to be fully defined. Our information on the occur rence of residues in the various parts of the environment is very uneven and localized. For instance, whereas we have a great deal of data on residues in North America, we know virtually nothing about the extent of pesticide contamination in Africa, South America and much of Asia, although large amounts of organochlorine insecticides have been used in these areas.