Pesticides keep on being a food risk
In July 2010 EU Food Authority EFSA published their 2008 Annual Report on Pesticide Residues. EFSA summarized in this report the results of analysis done in 27 EU member states plus Norway and Iceland. The results of a coordinated programme of yearly changing products are included as well as the results of national surveillance programmes. In 2008 oranges, mandarins, pears, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, spinach, beans without pods and rice were part of the coordinated programme. 11.610 samples were analysed in different countries in an as comparable way as possible, meaning a low amount of pesticides were analysed (78) to allow every country to participate. The exceedance of standards (MRL’s or maximum residue limits) for these samples was 2,2% which means this 2,2% was put illegally on the market but consumed by the public. The highest exceedance was for spinach (6,2%) and the lowest for potatoes (0,5%).
687.887 results of analysis of national surveillance samples were summarized by EFSA as well as 2.256 ‘enforcement’ samples (taken in case of suspicion). The exceedance percentage of the standards for fruit and vegetables in this case was 3,7%. This is a bit higher than the coordinated programme and might be due to the higher number of pesticides analysed (varying from 39 – 679 in different countries). The average exceedance percentage of all fruit and vegetable samples 3,5% and is slightly lower than previous year (2007: 4%, 2006: 5%). It is however difficult or even impossible to make a comparison between these years. In 2008 EU is gone through a massive relaxing of the residue standards to get to a EU-wide harmonisation. In this harmonisation the highest (=weakest) standard available anywhere in a EU member state was taken as the EU harmonised standard. Standards were lowered 10, 100 or even 1000 times. Tens of thousands standards were revised in this process. So we don’t know if the exceedance percentage went up or down.
What we do know is in 53,3% of products (fruit, vegetables, cereals) no residues were analysed. This is the good news and several food items like cabbage or cereals can be eaten without risk of pesticides. The bad news is that 26,7% of the food contains multiple residues, 10,9% 2 residues, 6,5% 3 residues, 4,2% 4 residues, etc. to products containing even up to 26 different pesticides (one sample of grapes analysed in Germany). This information is the more worrying since EFSA does not consider health risks of multiple residues and only makes calculations as if every citizen can only be exposed to one pesticide in his or her food. This makes the whole assessment of risks of EFSA unscientific and useless. Every citizen will through eating standard food be exposed to dozens of pesticides every day and risks assessment should include the effects of all these cocktails of chemicals.
Most worrying is that EFSA itself is the organisation blocking the evaluation of the cocktails. In the 2005 Residue Directive EU decided that cocktail effects should be taken into account and consumers protected against the risks of cocktails. But, unfortunately, EU also decided EFSA is the institute to come up with methods to assess the cocktail effects. While several methods are available and in use fi. in the USA (combined effects of the big group of organophosphate pesticides) EFSA up to now, 5 years later, fails to put forward methods. EFSA keeps on publishing reports while saying more information is needed. This highly irresponsible attitude puts consumers at risk.
In the report EFSA finds the nerve toxin Diazinon exceeding health standards in people’s diets. By introducing assumptions about what could happen in processing the food EFSA declares Diazinon consumption in the end “safe”. Diazinon is a potent nerve toxin of the group organophosphates and independent research shows that Diazinon even in low doses can harm developing life especially the brain. Children and the unborn might be irreversibly effected. First of al it can be questioned if this literature is taken into account by EFSA because generally EFSA bases their opinions on industry lab tests. Secondly the doses of Diazinon might give a cumulative effect with those of other organophosphates like Chlorpyriphos, Malathion and other organophosphates which are also found in many products.
There is no way anyone can conclude all food on the shelves is safe. The combined effects of pesticides are denied and this makes an assessment futile. Governments and government institutes tend to say food is safe, everything is under control and consumers need not worry. This probably is exactly the reason why they are not trusted. EFSA in this 2008 report is following this decade-long tradition. People in Europe know better. In EU Barometer 2010 citizens of Europe (72%)still see pesticide residues as their number 1 health worry. Citizens should be taken more serious.
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