Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health
Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health
Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health
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Bromide <str<strong>on</strong>g>from</str<strong>on</strong>g> fumigati<strong>on</strong><br />
with methyl bromide<br />
The results of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> calculati<strong>on</strong>s are summarised in table 6.4, which shows<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> calculated pesticide intake with <strong>and</strong> without reducti<strong>on</strong> through<br />
processing of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> cereal. As will be seen <str<strong>on</strong>g>from</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> table, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> average<br />
intake is estimated to be about 26 microgrammes per day, with a<br />
distributi<strong>on</strong> of about 2/3 <str<strong>on</strong>g>from</str<strong>on</strong>g> cereals produced in Denmark <strong>and</strong> 1/3 <str<strong>on</strong>g>from</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
imported cereals.<br />
It should be noted that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> residual c<strong>on</strong>tent of bromide is not included in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> summati<strong>on</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> total intake. Bromide is not in itself a pesticide but<br />
is included in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> analyses as an expressi<strong>on</strong> of any use of methyl<br />
bromide, which is used to fumigate cereals <strong>and</strong> o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r products. The test<br />
method for measuring methyl bromide is based <strong>on</strong> determinati<strong>on</strong> of<br />
bromide, but as this also exists in nature, it is a questi<strong>on</strong> of measuring<br />
whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> bromide c<strong>on</strong>tent is higher than <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> normal c<strong>on</strong>tent in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
cereal product. In o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r words, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> absolute c<strong>on</strong>tent of bromide does not<br />
corresp<strong>on</strong>d to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> residual c<strong>on</strong>tent of methyl bromide, <strong>and</strong> it would be a<br />
gross over-estimati<strong>on</strong> to include <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> bromide c<strong>on</strong>tent when summing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
total intake.<br />
As in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> case of fruit <strong>and</strong> vegetables, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> average intake of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> individual<br />
pesticide residues <str<strong>on</strong>g>from</str<strong>on</strong>g> cereals <strong>and</strong> cereal products is typically less than<br />
1% of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ADI values (see Büchert 1998).<br />
The variati<strong>on</strong>s in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> exposure to pesticides <str<strong>on</strong>g>from</str<strong>on</strong>g> cereals <strong>and</strong> cereal<br />
products can be estimated <str<strong>on</strong>g>from</str<strong>on</strong>g> table 6.3, <str<strong>on</strong>g>from</str<strong>on</strong>g> which it will be seen that<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 90% fractile for cereals <strong>and</strong> cereal products corresp<strong>on</strong>ds to approx.<br />
200% of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> mean intake.<br />
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