Pesticides [in milk and milk products]
1997
Bluethgen, A. (Federal Dairy Research Centre, Kiel (Germany)) | Tuinstra, L.G.M.T.
The problem of pesticide residues in milk and milk products has drastically diminished since the ban of the persistent organochlorines some 20 years ago and the phasing-out time since that. Modern pesticides are used for an abundance of applications in agriculture on food and forage plants and practically bear no risk of significant residues in milk and milk products, when the rules of Good Agricultural Practice are strictly followed. At present, 191 pesticides are under discussion in the Codex Alimentarius Commission, 85 of them having a Maximum Residue Limit for milk (and milk products) between 0.0008 and 0.1 mg per kg product base. Estimates of the different daily intake figures yield for the daily consumption of 1.5 liters of milk just a few percent contribution of milk to the total ADI for the adult. Probable environmental threats of persistent pesticides, especially for the water supplies and for biota by magnification during their passage through the food chains can only be ascertained for a few active ingredients still in use, but are under careful control of governmental and non-governmental bodies. The principal hazard of pesticides as toxic substances (ADI down to 0.0001 mg per kg body weight (or even nil)) imposes under the rules of good agricultural practice only a marginal random risk for the consumer arising from possible residues in the daily food.
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