Pesticide adulteration

When illegal residues have been found in monitoring studies conducted by the FDA or USD A, the reason has often been that no U.S. tolerance had been requested for that particular pesticide in that specific crop. For example, an imported crop would be deemed to be adulterated and would be seized at the port of entry into the United States if found to contain a pesticide residue in the absence of a tolerance in that crop. This is so even if tolerances have been set for the same pesticide in several crops grown in the United States and the pesticide had been used to control a pest that does not exist in the United States. Furthermore, an international maximum residue level (MRL) might already have been estabUshed for that pesticide—crop combination under the Codex system of standards for food of importance in international trade. The U.S. GAO issued two reports on food safety and pesticides in 1991 (89,90). 

Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Sections 408 and 409 for setting tolerances. A tolerance is the legal maximum residue concentration of a specific pesticide chemical allowed in or on a specific food or feed item. If residues exceed the tolerance, the food or feed is considered adulterated and is subject to seizure as it travels in interstate commerce. Tolerances are set at a level that represents the maximum residue likely to occur if the pesticide is used in accordance with the registered directions for use. 

It is unlawful for any person to deal with pesticides that are not registered or are adulterated, misbranded, or sold in unlabeled packages. It is also unlawful to use any pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its label. 

The three laws are enforced from regional laboratories where samples of formulated pesticides and raw and processed foods that have been collected are analyzed. Pesticide formulations are analyzed to see if they are properly labeled, i.e., they contain the pesticide in the amount claimed on the label. These analyses will also indicate whether other pesticides, i.e., adulterants, are present. Through complaints, accidents, and investigations of suspected violations, the government also receives information of any violation of FIFRA (Terriere, 1982). 

Damage to oils during storage, and the resulting loss in quality and yield, can occur because of deterioration-adverse chemical changes caused by the intrinsic nature of oils contamination from natural substances associated with the source of the oil, traces of pesticides, and that introduced by oil processing or in transit and adulteration-deliberate admixture of one oil with another. 

Foreign substances These are materials that are introduced by contamination or adulteration, and not as a result of formation or preparation they are classified as foreign substances, e.g., pesticides in oral analgesics. 

Tests for residues of pesticides, fumigants, radionuclides, heavy metals, other contaminants and likely adulterants. 

Several potential etiologies were investigated, including infectious agents, pet-borne vectors, contaminated food, organophosphate pesticide exposure, and vinyl chloride contamination from food containers, before a link was made between the new disease and the consumption of adulterated cooking oil. Chemical analysis of the case-associated oil identified brassicasterol, a marker for rapeseed oil, trace amounts of aniline, oleyl anilide, and other fatty acid anilides and contaminants (Aldridge, 1992 Posada de la Paz et al., 1996 Ruiz-Mendez et al., 2001). The toxin or toxins appear to be stable in oil, since consumption of toxic oil one year after the main epidemic led to development of the disease. 

Recent legislation reflects a concern with the adulteration of pesticides rather than with the quantities of pesticides used. 

Safety of food is a basic requirement of food quality. Food safety implies absence or acceptable and safe levels of contaminants, adulterants, naturally occurring toxins, or any other substance that may make food injurious to health on an acute or chronic basis. Most countries, therefore, have established official tolerance levels for chemical additives, residues, toxins, and contaminants in food products. Table 30.5 summarizes several CE reports that can be found in the literature that deal with the analysis of toxins, contaminants, pesticides, and residues. A number of reviews appearing... 

---