Abstract
<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> The article entitled "Aldicarb Food Poisoning From Contaminated Melons—California"<sup>1</sup>reports that illnesses occurred that were compatible with carbamate poisoning, although laboratory tests disclosed no aldicarb. The implication was that laboratory analyses are too insensitive to detect aldicarb at levels that can cause human illness. Although no attempt was made to test this hypothesis, information is already available. Since the news media and policymakers may attribute illness to undetectable levels of aldicarb or any other environmental chemical, we felt that a quantitative evaluation of the likelihood of this occurring should be attempted. The relevant limits of sensitivity for the different laboratories involved in these analyses for aldicarb ranged from 0.01 to 0.20 parts per million (ppm). Assuming a worst-case scenario, ie, that the highest limit of detection was 0.20 ppm and that the individual had a large appetite for melon (1.35 kg) and a small body weight
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