Monitoring of pesticide residues in fresh vegetables, fruits, and other selected food items in Belgium, 1991-1993.
To estimate the exposure of the Belgian population to food contaminated with pesticide residues and to determine what pesticides people are actually consuming, a total diet study-individual approach-was performed. Fourteen kinds of fruits, 22 kinds of vegetables, and 7 other food items (coffee, drinking water, rice, tea, wine, bran, and wheat flour) were selected as major representatives of the Belgian diet. During the 2 years of study (April 1991-March 1993), about 3,698 samples were analyzed and 21 163 analyses were performed. The first part of this study demonstrates that no residues are found in 31.3% of leafy vegetables, 72.3% of other vegetables, 51.4% of fruits, and 67.2% of other samples. In particular cases, some critical situations still exist, especially for leafy vegetables. Also, contamination of foreign samples is not easy to determine, because origins are not always traceable.
Dejonckheere
W
W
University of Gent, Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences, Department of Crop Protection Chemistry, Belgium.
Steurbaut
W
W
Drieghe
S
S
Verstraeten
R
R
Braeckman
H
H
D001530:Belgium; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005506:Food Contamination; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D011786:Quality Control; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry*
D010573:Pesticide Residues