US Pesticide Data Program residue tests in 2006

The latest survey of pesticide residues by the USDA's Pesticide Data Program (PDP) indicates that 3.4% of the 9,818 fruit and vegetable samples tested contained illegal residues in 2006. Thirty samples (0.3%) contained residues exceeding established tolerances, while 304 samples (3.1%) contained residues for which tolerances had not been established.

 

The PDP's testing programme covered 15 fresh fruits and vegetables in 2006 (aubergines, bananas, broccoli, carrots, cauliflowers, collard greens, cranberries, grapefruit, kale, peaches, plums, spinach, summer squash, watermelons and winter squash). It also covered six processed commodities (apple sauce, frozen peas, frozen potatoes, orange juice, prunes and raisins). Residues were detected in 64% of the 6,433 fresh fruit and vegetable samples and 59% of the 3,385 processed samples.

 

The fruit and vegetable samples reported to the Food and Drug Administration for tolerance exceedences were: aubergines (three samples); cranberries (one); collard greens (one); kale (two); plums (two); spinach (seven); watermelons (13); and winter squash (one). Thirty-one of these were domestic samples and 12 were imported.

 

All of the violations were attributed to insecticides. The aubergine, winter squash and watermelon violations were caused by acephate. The collard and kale violations were due to cyhalothrin or lambda-cyhalothrin. These active ingredients were also implicated for two spinach violations, with the remainder caused by acetamiprid. Other infractions were due to spinosad in cranberries and chlorpyrifos in plums.

 

The majority of violations due to the absence of tolerances was caused by the disinfectant, O-phenylphenol. Other significant violations were due to the insecticide, diflubenzuron, in apple sauce (24 samples) and the herbicide, chlorthal, in spinach (33).

The PDP also analysed 739 peanut butter samples and 687 wheat grain samples in 2006. Residues were detected in 30% of the peanut samples and 69% of the wheat samples. One domestic wheat sample contained residues of the insecticide, carbofuran, above the established tolerance. Pesticides detected in wheat for which no tolerances were established were: the insecticides, methoprene (18 samples), methoxychlor (29) and pirimiphos-methyl (11). Two peanut samples contained residues of the fungicide, fluazinam, for which no tolerance was established.