Regulating Pesticides In Food

Concern about health effects from exposure to pesticides in foods is growing as scientists learn more about the toxic properties of pesticides. The Delaney Clause, a provision of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, prohibits tolerances for any pesticide that causes cancer in test animals or in humans if the pesticide concentrates in processed food or feeds. This volume examines the impacts of the Delaney Clause on agricultural innovation and on the public's dietary exposure to potentially carcinogenic pesticide residues. Four regulatory scenarios are described to illustrate the effects of varying approaches to managing oncogenic pesticide residues in food.

Abstract: This report describes the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulation of pesticide products and recent problems with that regulatory process. The report also presents recommendations for regulatory reform. The history of pesticide statutes and the conflicts between the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) is reviewed. The history of the regulation of Alar is an example of the problems that exist in EPA regulations of pesticides.

Many of the pesticides applied to food crops in this country are present in foods and may pose risks to human health. Current regulations are intended to protect the health of the general population by controlling pesticide use. This book explores whether the present regulatory approaches adequately protect infants and children, who may differ from adults in susceptibility and in dietary exposures to pesticide residues. The committee focuses on four major areas: Susceptibility: Are children more susceptible or less susceptible than adults to the effects of dietary exposure to pesticides? Exposure: What foods do infants and children eat, and which pesticides and how much of them are present in those foods? Is the current information on consumption and residues adequate to estimate exposure? Toxicity: Are toxicity tests in laboratory animals adequate to predict toxicity in human infants and children? Do the extent and type of toxicity of some chemicals vary by species and by age? Assessing risk: How is dietary exposure to pesticide residues associated with response? How can laboratory data on lifetime exposures of animals be used to derive meaningful estimates of risk to children? Does risk accumulate more rapidly during the early years of life? This book will be of interest to policymakers, administrators of research in the public and private sectors, toxicologists, pediatricians and other health professionals, and the pesticide industry.

This 3-to-4 week laboratory module introduces students to the practice of risk assessment in the context of organochlorine pesticides in food. The chemical concepts covered include structure/solubility relationships of organic compounds, gas chromatography, biodegradation, bioaccumulation, and organic extraction techniques. In the final assignment, two groups of students (the agribusiness group and environmentalists) stage a debate over the use of pesticides. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR