Pesticide residues in human food and wildlife in The Netherlands.
Several monitoring programmes for pesticide residues in food are currently operative in the Netherlands, some of which are related to EU directives. These programmes cover a range of products. This paper reviews the 1997 and 1998 data for fruit and vegetables, meat, milk, livestock and fish, as well as presenting data on pesticide residues in wildlife. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of what is known about pesticide residues in the Netherlands, including indications of the origins of the compounds found. A total of 281 different compounds were monitored on fruit and vegetables. Of these compounds, 45% were actually found on products and 28% exceeded the standard. Expressed as percentages of the number of measurements, the data show that 0.3% of the measurements detected a compound, and standards were exceeded in 0.02% of the measurements. Some of the cases in which standards were exceeded concerned the use of compounds in minor crops, for which their use is not permitted. Other cases involved excessive dosages or application within the safety interval before harvest. In meat, milk and livestock, 10 persistent organochlorine compounds were measured. Most of these compounds, with the exception of lindane, are no longer in use, but are still being found as residues. The concentrations found were very low and have not exceeded standards for human consumption since 1993. No assessment was made, however, of products currently in use. Organochlorine compounds have also frequently been found in fish (eel), in higher concentrations than in meat, but in nearly all cases in quantities below the standards for human consumption. Ecological standards for accumulation in the food chain were exceeded on a larger scale and indications of exposure effects on piscivorous birds (cormorants) were found. No data on pesticide residues in wildlife are known for terrestrial organisms.
De Jong
F M
FM
Centre of Environmental Science, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
De Snoo
G R
GR
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000378:metabolism*; D003611:Dairy Products / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes; D005504:Food Analysis; D020387:Food Chain; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D007306:Insecticides / Q000032:analysis; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis / Q000592:standards; D009426:Netherlands; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry
D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D007306:Insecticides; D010573:Pesticide Residues