In 1991, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) was charged with designing and implementing the Pesticide Data Program (PDP) to collect data on pesticide residues in food. This 16th summary presents results for samples collected in 2006.

Data Uses: PDP data are used primarily by EPA to prepare realistic pesticide dietary exposures and continue pesticide re-registration activities in accordance with the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). PDP provides high-quality data on residues in food, particularly foods most likely consumed by infants and children, including minor crops. Minor crops are those grown on 300,000 acres or less in the U.S.,  for example, many fruit and vegetable crops are defined as minor crops.

PDP data are also used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), participating States, academic institutions, chemical manufacturers, environmental interest groups, food safety organizations, and groups within the private sector representing food producers. PDP data are used by the U.S. Government and the agricultural community to examine pesticide residue issues affecting agricultural practices, integrated pest management and U.S. trade, particularly in the competitive global market. PDP additionally provides support for USDA’s participation in the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Risk Assessment: In estimating the potential risks of consumption of pesticide residues from food, EPA uses a step-wise tiered approach. As a first step, EPA may use a conservative, worstcase scenario and assume that a pesticide is applied to the fullest extent permitted by the pesticide label; that is, on every acre of each approved crop at the maximum rate and frequency allowed. EPA may also assume that residues on treated crops are present at the maximum allowable level. Exposure estimates based on such assumptions are likely to significantly exceed actual exposure. When an initial assessment indicates a potential risk, EPA refines its assessment using more realistic exposure data. Refinements may include the use of additional data such as: (1) the percent of a crop treated with a pesticide; (2) studies of the effects of washing, cooking, processing, and storage; and (3) residue monitoring data. During the refinements of this exposure assessment, PDP data can be pivotal. PDP sampling procedures were designed to capture residues in the food supply as close as possible to the time of consumption. PDP concentrates its efforts to provide realistic pesticide residue data on foods that are most often consumed by infants and children and incorporates recommendations made in 1993 by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in its report “Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children.”

Participants: In 2006, sampling and/or testing program operations were carried out with the support of 12 States: California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Grain sampling was performed by USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) and poultry sampling by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Two Federal laboratories also provided testing services: USDA’s AMS National Science Laboratory and USDA’s GIPSA Laboratory. Participating water utilities provided drinking water samples which were tested by the Colorado, Montana, and New York State laboratories. Bottled water samples were collected at food distribution centers and tested by the Minnesota laboratory. MPO is responsible for administering the program, coordinating sampling activities, directing technical performance issues and quality assurance measures, and managing database activities.

Sampling: PDP commodity sampling is based on a rigorous statistical design which ensures that the data are reliable for use in exposure assessments and that they can be used to draw various conclusions about the Nation’s food supply. Pesticides and commodities included each year in PDP are selected based on EPA data needs and on information about the types and amounts of food consumed by infants and children. Fruit and vegetable, peanut butter, and bottled water samples collected by each of the 10 sampling States (California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin) are apportioned according to that State’s population. Samples are randomly chosen close to the time and point of consumption (i.e., distribution centers rather than at farmgate) and reflect what is typically available to the consumer throughout the year. Samples are selected without regard to country of origin, variety, or organic labeling. The monthly sampling rate is 62 samples per commodity, except for highly seasonal commodities. For seasonal commodities, sampling rates are adjusted to reflect market availability. Sampling rates for grain and meat are based on production.

Results: During 2006, PDP tested fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, wheat grain, poultry, bottled water, and treated (finished) and untreated drinking water for various insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and growth regulators. Of the 13,658 total samples collected and analyzed, 9,818 were fruit and vegetable commodities including applesauce, bananas, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cranberries, eggplant, grapefruit, greens (collard/kale), orange juice, peaches, fresh and dried plums (prunes), frozen potatoes, raisins, spinach, summer squash, frozen sweet peas, watermelon, and winter squash. PDP also tested 739 peanut butter, 687 wheat grain, 1,310 poultry (paired breast/thigh samples), 367 bottled water, and 737 treated (finished) and untreated drinking water samples.

Excluding drinking water samples, which were all from U.S. sources, approximately 80 percent of all samples tested were from U.S. sources, 18 percent were imports, 1 percent were of mixed origin, and 1 percent were of unknown origin. Approximately 32 percent of the orange juice samples were of mixed national origin.

Overall, 64 percent of fresh fruit and vegetables and 59 percent of processed fruit and vegetables showed detectable residues. Residues were detected in 30 percent of the peanut butter samples, 69 percent of wheat grain samples, 7 percent of the poultry breast and thigh samples, and 19 percent of the bottled water samples.

Excluding drinking water, 46 percent of all samples tested contained no detectable pesticides [parent compound and metabolite(s) combined], 28 percent contained 1 pesticide, and 26 percent contained more than 1 pesticide. Low levels of environmental contaminants were detected in broccoli, carrots, kale greens, peaches, frozen sweet peas, spinach, watermelon, winter squash, peanut butter and poultry at concentrations well below levels that trigger regulatory  actions.

Excluding samples for which no tolerances are set (bottled water and treated/untreated drinking water), residues exceeding the tolerance were detected in 0.2 percent of the 12,554 samples tested in 2006, 31 samples with 1 residue each. A tolerance is the maximum amount of a pesticide residue allowable on a raw agricultural commodity. Established tolerances are listed in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 180. Residues with no established tolerance were found in 3.1 percent of the samples (367 samples with 1 residue each, 17 samples with 2 residues each, 2 samples with 3 residues each, and 1 sample with 4 residues). In most cases, these residues were detected at very low levels and some residues might have resulted from spray drift or crop rotations. PDP communicates these findings to FDA when they are reported by testing laboratories.

For bottled water, 12 different residues from 6 different pesticides were detected. Most samples with detectable residues contained only a single pesticide or metabolite. All detections were well below established FDA Standards of Quality (SOQs). In finished drinking water, PDP detected low levels (measured in parts per trillion) of some pesticides, primarily widely used herbicides and their metabolites. Forty-eight different residues were detected in the untreated intake water and 39 in the treated water. The majority of pesticides, metabolites, and isomers included in the PDP testing profiles were not detected. None of the detections in the finished water samples exceeded established EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) or Health Advisory (HA) levels or established Freshwater Aquatic Organism (FAO) criteria.

Data Availability: PDP continuously strives to improve methods for the collection, testing, and reporting of data. These data are freely available to EPA and other Federal and State agencies charged with regulating and setting policies on the use of pesticides. They also are available to all stakeholders by hard copy, Internet, or custom reports generated by MPO.  This publication, the PDP database file for 2006, and annual summaries and database files for previous years are available on the PDP Web site at www.ams.usda.gov/pdp.

Reference: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Pesticide Data Program website.