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# **Protecting The Public From Pesticide Residues In Food**

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      - Questions On Pesticides?   National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC)   1-800-858-7378        

As part of its program to regulate the use of pesticides, EPA is responsible         for ensuring that the public is protected from unreasonable health risks         posed by eating foods that have been treated with pesticides. An important         component of that effort involves setting "tolerances," which         are the maximum amount of pesticides that may legally remain in or on         food and animal feed. This fact sheet provides a summary of EPA's process         for protecting the public from pesticide residues in food, including the         special efforts taken to protect infants and children.

**On This Page:**
    - Studies Required Regarding Pesticides in Food  Studies Required Regarding Pesticide Health EffectsAssessing Dietary Risks to Infants, Children and Others
- Conclusion     Studies Required Regarding Pesticides in Food  In setting tolerances, EPA must determine the maximum levels of pesticides         likely to be found in food. EPA accomplishes this by requiring pesticide         manufacturers to submit data that answer basic questions about what residues         are present in food and in what quantities. Among these are field trial         data, which are studies of residues found on crops grown in the **field**when pesticides are applied using the highest rate allowed by the         pesticide product label. Manufacturers must also provide information on         residues found in many processed foods, such as apple juice or tomato         paste. Data on residues in animal products, such as milk or meat, are         also required if livestock are exposed to pesticides directly or through         residues in their feed.  In re-evaluating the safety of existing pesticides, EPA also uses monitoring         data that show the levels of pesticide residues actually occurring in         foods as they are harvested, processed, marketed, and prepared to be served.         EPA sometimes requires pesticide manufacturers to perform monitoring studies.         Monitoring data often are also available from FDA, USDA, and state agencies.    Studies Required Regarding Pesticide Health Effects  EPA also requires a battery of toxicity tests in laboratory animals to         determine a pesticide's potential for causing adverse health effects,         such as cancer, birth defects, and adverse effects on the nervous system         or other organs. Tests are conducted for both short-term (acute) and long-term         (chronic) toxicity. For chronic effects other than cancer, laboratory         animals are exposed to different doses of a pesticide to determine the         level at which no adverse effects occur. This level is divided by an uncertainty         or "safety" factor (usually 100) to account for the uncertainty         of extrapolating from laboratory animals to humans and for individual         human differences in sensitivity. The resulting figure, termed the Reference         Dose, is the level of exposure that EPA judges an individual could be         exposed to on a daily basis for a lifetime with minimal probability of         experiencing any adverse effect. For cancer risks, EPA evaluates multi         year tests of laboratory animals to estimate levels unlikely to pose more         than a negligible risk. Tolerances are only approved if the expected exposure         is below these health concern levels.  Several of the types of studies that EPA can require are designed specifically         to assess risks to infants and children. These include developmental         toxicity studies, which examine risks to developing fetuses that result         from exposure of the mother to pesticides during pregnancy; developmental         neurotoxicity studies, which specifically examine the risks to the         developing nervous system; and two-generation reproduction studies, which provide information about the possible effects on the health         of both the individual and its offspring resulting from pesticide exposure.    Assessing Dietary Risks to Infants, Children and Others  EPA recognizes that the diets of infants and children may differ substantially         from those of adults and that they consume more food for their size than         adults. As a result, they may be exposed to proportionately more pesticide         residues. EPA addresses these differences by combining survey information         on food consumption by nursing infants, non-nursing infants, and children         with data on pesticide residues to estimate their dietary exposure. EPA         also uses this process to estimate exposure for other age groups, as well         as several different ethnic groups and regional populations.  Information about pesticide exposure to infants, children and other subgroups is then combined with toxicity information to determine the potential        risks posed by pesticide residues. If risks are unacceptable, EPA will not approve the tolerances.  Some of EPA's recent important regulatory decisions were based on concerns         about childhood or infant exposures, such as the elimination of the use         of aldicarb on bananas  EBDCs on a number of fruits and         vegetables.    Conclusion   EPA believes that the tolerance process is protective of human health         because it is based on extensive testing and on a combination of conservative         assumptions and risk assessment practices developed using current scientific         knowledge. At the same time, the Agency is working to make federal standards         more protective of infants and children and to better understand the potential         risks of pesticides. These efforts include addressing the recommendations         of the National         Academy of Sciences1993 report entitled Pesticides         in the Diets of Infants and Children.  **EBDCs** are fungicides containing chemicals         known as dithiocarbamates.    Top of page        Publications | Glossary | A-Z     Index | Jobs         Local Navigation- Pesticides Home 
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