title: Tolerance setting process in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
abstract: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for setting tolerances for pesticide residues in food, under the authority of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The residue chemistry data required to set tolerances include metabolism in plants and animals, analytical methods, magnitude of the residue, and concentration in processed foods. A key aspect of tolerance-setting procedures is the identity of the residue in the matrix of concern; without knowledge of the chemical moieties that occur as residues, it is impossible to develop suitable methods or generate meaningful residue data. For new chemicals, EPA carries out a single-laboratory validation of the analytical method needed to generate residue data and to enforce tolerances. Tolerance enforcement methods need to be rapid and inexpensive and to use commercially available equipment and reagents. Methods are more complex for many newer pesticides, which are polar compounds that leave low levels of residue. EPA now requires that the registrants of older pesticides, for which methods are not acceptable by today's standards, must develop better methods.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Residue Chemistry Branch, Washington, DC 20460.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Trichilo
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Schmitt
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D005506:Food Contamination; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis; D008892:Milk / Q000032:analysis; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency
chemical_list: D010573:Pesticide Residues