Usda Finds Low Levels Of Pesticides In Apples Agency Says Study Shows That Fruits And Vegetables Are Safe

Nearly every apple tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1993 showed traces of pesticides, but far below levels considered to pose a health risk, a study of popular fruits and vegetables showed.

Many samples of other fruits and vegetables showed no pesticide traces at all. Three-quarters of the broccoli samples and nearly half the lettuce had no detectable residues.

Farm and food-safety groups offered opposite interpretations of the study, but the USDA said it shored up farmers’ claim that they are not poisoning consumers.

“These data reinforce the fact that the nation’s food supply is one of the safest in the world,” said Lon Hatamiya, administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, the USDA agency that did the study.

Of the 7,328 samples taken, 110, or 1.5 percent, had pesticide levels above the legal limits. Imports, though smaller in volume, had a higher violation rate - 2.4 percent.

The scientists, using equipment designed to find pesticide residue at parts per billion, discovered 10,329 residues. That means some fruits and vegetables had traces of more than one pesticide.

Apples, the most popular fruit, had the highest number of residue detections in the 1993 tests. Ninety-seven percent of the 654 samples had residues. Celery followed, at 93 percent, and peaches had residue in 91 percent of samples.

The percentages then dropped, to 79 percent for oranges and potatoes, 75 percent for grapes and 72 percent for grapefruit. They were followed by green beans, 66 percent; carrots, 65 percent; bananas, 61 percent; lettuce, 51 percent; and broccoli, 25 percent.

The numbers will be especially useful in determining what levels are safe for infants and children, who have different eating habits and more sensitive bodies than adults. A 1993 report from the National Academy of Sciences recommended tailoring allowable levels to infants and children.

Larry Elworth, the department’s special assistant for pesticide policy, said most of the residues were within a margin of safety recommended for children by the academy.

Washington apple industry officials said the tests support their claim that pesticides can be used safely to control coddling moth and decay in the state’s biggest crop, which generates $1 billion in revenue.

“Without these (pesticides), we couldn’t ship overseas,” said Wally Ewart, vice president for scientific affairs at the Northwest Horticultural Council in Yakima. “It’s very difficult to grow an apple without using some type of pest control. There’s a high potential for loss.”

But critics say it’s wrong to make safety judgments based on current tolerances - the level of pesticide residues determined by the Environmental Protection Agency to be safe. Also, they say, the government’s approach of regulating each pesticide individually fails to recognize the combined effect of different chemical compounds on one piece of produce.

“The important part is to look at preventing exposure to these things rather than figuring out what is the acceptable poison,” said Kert Davies, analyst for the Washington-based Environmental Working Group.

The amounts detected were extremely small. Thiabendazole, a fungicide that prevents rotting, was found on 62 percent of the apples. The EPA allows a residue of 7.6 parts per million. Nearly all the thiabendazole residues were at 11 percent of that allowed level or lower.

Diphenylamine, which helps keep apples from turning brown during shipment and storage, was found on 53 percent of the apples, but at no more than 15 percent of the allowed levels. Azinphos-methyl, the chief insecticide for killing coddling moth, was found on nearly one-third of the apples, but at less than 5 percent of the allowed level.

The EPA determines safe levels of pesticides by dosing animals with the chemicals. After finding a dose at which the chemical ceases to cause tumors or other harm, the agency adds a safety factor and looks at human eating habits.

, DataTimes