Interpreting pesticide residue data at the analytical level.

Abstract

The natures, locations, and quantities of pesticide residues in foodstuffs are important in the realm of the public health; these residues in animal feeds are important, also, in animal husbandry, for they conceivably could affect the health and well-being of the animal as well as of the ultimate consuming public through possibly pesticide-contaminated edible animal products. Properly used under the now legalized aegis in many countries of “good agricultural practice,” with all the constraints attached thereto, there should be no nutritional or other health-related adverse effects from pesticide or pesticide-derived residues persisting in the agricultural environment. It is the occasional misuse or illegal use of pesticide chemicals,1 however, which could result in possibly deleterious residues persisting from attempted pest-control applications into human foodstuffs or animal feeds. It is not the intent here to dwell on the many complications that can result from over-contamination with pesticide chemicals of the nonedible agricultural environment such as soil, runoff and other initially agricultural waters, nontarget plants, wild animal and aquatic life, and air.