toxicological profile for malathion - Agency for Toxic Substances and ...

MALATHION 206
6. POTENTIAL FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE
vegetables; malathion residues were not detected in samples of infant formulas. Malathion was detected
in adult foods eaten by infants and children at maximum concentrations of 0.004 ppm in grape juice,
0.0005–0.0009 ppm in milk (including processed/canned and fluid), and 0.40 ppm in peanut butter.
The FDA Regulatory Monitoring Program analyzes surveillance samples of whole, unwashed, unpeeled
foods that may be eaten by infants/children to determine pesticide concentrations in 10,000 domestic and
imported food samples (Yess et al. 1993). During the fiscal years 1985–1991, malathion was detected in
domestic samples at a maximum concentration of 0.12 ppm in apples (in 7 of 2,464 samples) and
0.036 ppm (in 9 of 862 samples) in oranges. In imported samples, malathion was detected at maximums
of 0.60 ppm in bananas (in 10 of 1,097 samples), 0.02 ppm in orange juice (in 1 of 64 samples), and
0.25 ppm in oranges (in 32 of 474 samples). Based on an EPA risk assessment of malathion conducted,
in part, using the Dietary Exposure Evaluation Model (DEEM), acute dietary exposure to malathion (plus
malaoxon) from food is not a concern for children aged 1–6 (EPA 2000a). Based on a calculated acute
population adjusted dose (aPAD), at which no adverse health effects would be expected using the safety
factor prescribed in the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), the population subgroup with the highest
acute dietary exposure (at 38% of the aPAD) and the highest chronic dietary exposure (at 1.6% of the
cPAD) is children aged 1–6 (EPA 2000a). However, values of