Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines

CMA), and the USDA are excellent sources of information relative to current regulatory activities which will impact both production agriculture and the setting of tolerances to ensure food safety. The purpose of this article is to summarize the key impacts of the 1996 OPPTS 860 Residue Chemistry Test Guideline series as they impact research associated with field production of RAC samples to be used in establishing safe tolerance limits for pesticides used in commercial agricultural production. 

The guidelines for field residue trials currently in effect are included in the Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines . The guidelines consist of 17 chapters or sections each... 

Supplementary Guidance on Use of OPPTS Residue Chemistry Test Guideline 860.1500 (residue zone maps - Canadian extension) 4/8/98] and efforts are under way to extend the map into Mexico. The EPA cropping regions in which to locate field residue trials in a study are listed in Table 5. Other important items discussed in OPPTS 860.1500 include ... 

Both the Study Director and a QA agent should be present at the first application. SOPs must be followed, documentation must be correct and complete, equipment must be calibrated and its maintenance records must be documented, safety procedures must be in place, and the fine points of application methodology should be discussed with the applicator. Guidelines for applications can be found in Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines , Office of Prevention, Protection and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) 860.1500. 

EPA Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines OPPTS 860.1000, Background, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (1996). 

Tolerances for animal food commodities are required only if the pesticide is registered for use on crops that can be constituents of livestock or poultry diets. Allowable feed items are published in the USEPA s Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines (USEPA, 1996). Examples of crops not used for animal feed are strawberries, lettuce, grapes, and pecans. Examples of crops that can be included in livestock and poultry diets are wheat, com, citrus, apples, and almonds. 

USEPA (1996). (US Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.) Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines Background. Washington, DC US Environmental Protection Agency, 40 pp. 

The proposed guidelines indicate that, in addition to routine examinations and observations for obvious toxicity and behavioral changes, clinical laboratory tests should be performed at intervals of 3,6,12,18, and 24 months. These tests include hematological studies, blood chemistries, urinanalyses, and residue analyses of tissues. At the completion of the study complete necroscopies are to be performed on all animals. 

As an analytical approach to residue analysis, immunoassay methods are not well characterized, and no validation protocols have been established. The Association of Official Analytical Chemists, whose primary purpose is validation of analytical methods, established a Task Force on Test Kits and Proprietary Methods (2), which has addressed some of the issues relating to immunoassay methods. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry s Commission on Food Chemistry has established a Working Group on Immunochemical Methods, whose first project is to develop draft guidelines on criteria for evaluation, validation, and quality control for r o-immunoassay methods (10). Similar guidelines for EIAs will also be developed. These documents will assist in development and standardization of requirements for precision for both between-laboratories and within-laboratory andyses, accuracy, and ruggedness, and— for qualitative methods— false positive and false negative rates. 

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