Longitudinal Investigation of Dietary Exposure to Selected Pesticides
Chlorpyrifos was
detected in 38.3% of the solid food samples, malathion in 75.2%, and p,p´-DDE
in 21.4%.
Subject: Longitudinal Investigation of Dietary Exposure to Selected Pesticides
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 07:42:22 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of
California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought
you might like to read an article from Environmental Health Perspectives Volume
109, Number 2, February 2001, entitled: Longitudinal Investigation of Dietary
Exposure to Selected Pesticides By David L. MacIntosh,1 Caroline W. Kabiru,1 and
P. Barry Ryan2 - 1Department of Environmental Health Science, College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens Georgia,
USA 2 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of
Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract
Between September 1995 and September 1996, 4-day composite
duplicate plate samples (379 solid food samples and 303 beverage samples) were
obtained from a stratified random sample of 75 individuals in Maryland and
analyzed for the presence of 10 pesticides. Samples were collected in each of
six approximately equally spaced cycles as part of a larger pilot investigation
of longitudinal exposure to pesticides and other elements. Chlorpyrifos was
detected in 38.3% of the solid food samples, malathion in 75.2%, and p,p´-DDE
in 21.4%. Other pesticides were detected in less than 10% of the solid food
samples. Pesticide residues were not detected in duplicate beverage samples. In
solid food samples, the mean concentration of chlorpyrifos was 0.7 (SD 1.7) µg/kg,
1.8 (2.1) for malathion, and 0.2 (0.6) for p,p´-DDE. The detection rate and
mean concentration of chlorpyrifos, malathion, and p,p´-DDE varied by a factor
of 2-3 among sampling cycles and significantly according to results from several
statistical analyses. Co-occurrence of chlorpyrifos and malathion in solid food
samples was found relatively frequently and also varied with time. Pesticides
were detected in food samples with greatest frequency in spring and summer
months and with lowest frequency in winter months. These results support the
hypothesis that 4-day average exposure to chlorpyrifos and malathion varies over
time for this population mean and for individual members of the population and
that correlation between exposures to these two organophosphate pesticides can
occur. The measurements of pesticide levels in duplicate plate samples presented
here can be used to evaluate and set parameters for dietary exposure models. Key
words: chlorpyrifos, p,p´-DDE, duplicate plate, food contamination, malathion,
pesticide contamination, pesticide exposure. Environ Health Perspect 109:145-150
(2001). [Online 24 January 2001]
http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p145-150macintosh/abstract.html
Well Mr. Helliker, this
abstract sounds like a modern twist to the old joke: "Waiter, What is this
fly doing in my soup? Answer: The backstroke."
Today the customer would ask: "Waiter,
What is all this POISON doing in my soup? Answer:
'Protecting' it from flies that do the backstroke."
Dear G-d, what will it take before you will "legally" allow the
use of safe and far more effective (unregistered) alternatives to actually
control pest problems?
Respectfully,
Stephen L. Tvedten
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