Hidden Ingredients

(Page 2 of 2)

February/March 2001
 
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Rounding out the top-five offender list are endosulfan, one of only three still legal organochlorines (it comes up for review this year), and two organophosphates: chlorpyrifosmethyl and malathion (see " Chemical Roulette " for more on these pesticides).

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In all, 55 pesticides were found in the FDA's 1999 "market baskets," though all were reportedly well below regulatory limits. Current tests can detect residues at 1 part per billion.

Even so, some fruits and veggies stand out for both the variety and sheer number of residues found in their flesh and on their skins. The top ten, in descending order of contamination and based do TDS data for the years 1991 through 1999, are:

1.Apples
2.Collards
3.Green peppers and spinach (tie)
4.Peaches 5.Celery
6.Strawberries
7.Tomatoes
8. White potatoes
9.Cucumbers
10. Sweet cherries

In addition to its Total Diet Study, the FDA also regularly monitors both imported and domestic food items for residue before they enter the market to be sure that producers, both at home and abroad, are complying with pesticide limits set by the EPA. In 1999, the FDA detected pesticide residues on nearly 40% of the domestic foods and 35% of the foreign items tested, though all but about 4% were within EPA safety standards.

Detailed results of the FDA's residue monitoring and market basket studies are available on the Web at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov .

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