Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health

The scope of <strong>the</strong>
calculations
Variations in <strong>the</strong>
population
The distribution between
Danish and imported food
products
samples with concentrations above <strong>the</strong> detection limit are estimated as
<strong>the</strong> mean value between <strong>the</strong> highest and lowest detected content.
The calculations of <strong>the</strong> content in <strong>the</strong> crops analysed have been carried
out for all <strong>the</strong> pesticides detected in <strong>the</strong> analyses in 1996 and 1997. It was
anticipated that <strong>the</strong>re was a content in both Danish and foreign crops of
<strong>the</strong> same type, also when <strong>the</strong> substance was only detected in crops of one
or <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r origin. There is also an overestimation, in that <strong>the</strong>
calculations are based on an assumption that detection of a pesticide in a
single type of crop means that <strong>the</strong> entire production of <strong>the</strong> crop in
question has been treated with <strong>the</strong> pesticide in question and <strong>the</strong>refore has
a residual content of <strong>the</strong> pesticide that differs <strong>from</strong> 0.
The calculations do not take into account intake of pesticides that have
not been detected in <strong>the</strong> national monitoring programme in ei<strong>the</strong>r Danish
or imported crops, nor do <strong>the</strong>y include any intake of such substances as
might occur in contents below <strong>the</strong> analytical detection limits or that are
not covered by <strong>the</strong> analytical methods used.
In <strong>the</strong> calculation of Danish consumers’ exposure to pesticide residues
through food, <strong>the</strong> crops’ estimated content is multiplied by <strong>the</strong> average
daily dietary consumption of <strong>the</strong> crop in question. The dietary data used
are based on diet studies <strong>from</strong> 1985 and 1995 and on trade statistics.
In practice, of course, <strong>the</strong>re are many deviations in <strong>the</strong> population <strong>from</strong>
<strong>the</strong> average diet model with respect to sex, age, ethnic background and
social conditions. For a more detailed risk analysis for such groups <strong>the</strong>re
is thus a need for more precise dietary data. However, it must be stressed
that <strong>the</strong> model set up provides a reasonable possibility of a more general
evaluation of <strong>the</strong> pesticide intake on a national level, including <strong>the</strong>
broader significance of keeping Danish crops free of pesticide treatment.
Good data on <strong>the</strong> distribution of Danish consumption between Danish
and imported crops are not available. The main reason for that is, that
with <strong>the</strong> "internal market", official statistics are no longer kept of imports
and exports between <strong>the</strong> Member States. In <strong>the</strong> calculations carried out,
<strong>the</strong> distribution has been estimated on <strong>the</strong> basis of earlier trade figures
and agricultural statistics. These indicate that <strong>the</strong> distribution between
imports and domestic production is 1:1 for such fruit as apples, pears,
plums, berries, etc., while exotic fruit, such as citrus fruit and kiwi are
exclusively imported crops. For vegetables, <strong>the</strong> distribution is about 1:4,
although not for cucumber, tomatoes and similar, where imports,
distributed over <strong>the</strong> whole year, account for about 70% of <strong>the</strong> total
consumption. In <strong>the</strong> case of cereals, maize and rice are exclusively
imported crops, while <strong>the</strong> consumption of barley is based entirely on
Danish products. In <strong>the</strong> case of rye, wheat and oats, 5%, 20% and 65%,
respectively, of consumption is covered by imports.
Table 6.2 shows <strong>the</strong> average daily consumption of Danish and imported
cereal and cereal products in Denmark.
Table 6.2
Average consumption of Danish and imported cereal and cereal
products, given in grammes per day.
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