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USDA: EPA’s pesticide tolerance levels are rarely violated
 


By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly all foods tested in 2013 for the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program (PDP) had chemical levels below tolerance standards, the agency said in the program’s latest annual summary.
“The PDP provides reliable data through rigorous sampling that helps assure consumers that the produce they feed their families is safe,” a USDA spokesperson said. “This report confirms again that pesticide residues are below levels deemed safe.”
In its report, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) said more than 99 percent of the 10,104 samples tested were found to have pesticide residue levels lower than tolerances set by the U.S. EPA. Tested in 2013 were fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, including baby food, infant formula, butter, salmon and potable groundwater. The USDA’s summary was released last month.
If pesticide residues had been found at extraordinary levels, the EPA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration would have been notified right away, USDA said. In setting the tolerance levels for various food products, “EPA has determined the extremely low levels of those residues are not a food safety risk, and the presence of such residues does not pose a safety concern,” USDA said.
The EPA evaluates potential risk to human health and the environment in order to set tolerance levels for pesticide residues on a particular food product. For pesticides used on food crops, the agency determines a tolerance for the chemical that can remain on or in foods. 
Samples are collected throughout the year, and state agencies work with AMS to amass data and analyze residue levels on foods in their states. 
“The data are a valuable tool for consumers, food producers and processors, chemical manufacturers, environmental interest groups, and food safety organizations,” USDA noted. 
Steve Smith, chair of the Save Our Crops Coalition (SOCC), said the results aren’t surprising.
“Nobody wants to use any more of these products than they have to because it costs too much,” Smith stated. “We’re pleased that the industry is concerned about this.”
The SOCC was founded nearly three years ago over concerns with off-target damage from exposure to the herbicides 2,4-D and dicamba.
The PDP was established in 1991 and has tested 112 different commodities, the USDA spokesperson said. “The 2013 results were consistent with historical data,” the spokesperson noted. “PDP provides high quality data on residues in food, particularly foods most likely consumed by infants and children. The annual surveys are designed to determine the pesticide levels at the time of the sampling on a variety of foods.”
In previous years, the PDP has tested dairy, meat, poultry and grains. Products to be tested in a given year are determined on a rotating basis, according to the USDA.
To view PDP results, visit www.ams.usda.gov/pdp To learn more about EPA pesticide residue tolerances, visit www.epa. gov/pesticides/food
1/22/2015