Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health

The estimated intake <strong>from</strong>
animal food products and
fish
The estimated intake <strong>from</strong>
drinking water
Overall assessment of
intake <strong>from</strong> food products
and drinking water
The Danish Veterinary & Food Administration has been monitoring <strong>the</strong>
content of pesticide residues in animal food products for many years. The
analyses have primarily been directed at <strong>the</strong> chlorinated pesticides, such
as DDT, HCB and similar fat-soluble compounds, but analyses have also
been carried out for residues of organophosphorous pesticides in meat.
No residual content of organophosphorous pesticides has been detected
in meat, but a chronic content of chlorinated pesticide residues has been
found in both animal food products and fish. However, this residual
content represents substances that have been banned in pesticides for
many years. Their occurrence in <strong>the</strong> food products is <strong>the</strong>refore a result of
<strong>the</strong>ir earlier use, which has resulted in extensive and permanent
environmental pollution with <strong>the</strong>se persistent substances.
Since <strong>the</strong> exposure of <strong>the</strong> consumers to pesticide residues <strong>from</strong> animal
food products and fish is primarily a question of “<strong>the</strong> sins of <strong>the</strong> past”
and does not concern <strong>the</strong> pesticides authorised for use today, <strong>the</strong>
exposure does not depend on <strong>the</strong> extent of <strong>the</strong> use of <strong>the</strong> pesticides
currently used in Denmark.
In <strong>the</strong> last few years it has been recognised that <strong>the</strong>re is widespread
pollution of our groundwater with pesticides. There is <strong>the</strong>refore a
potential risk of such contaminants in our drinking water and thus a risk
of exposure of <strong>the</strong> population through <strong>the</strong> water.
Since drinking-water wells in which a residual content has been detected
have hi<strong>the</strong>rto been closed, <strong>the</strong> real exposure of <strong>the</strong> consumer is limited.
However, this does not exclude <strong>the</strong> possibility of undiscovered pollution
of local wells that can result in significant exposure of <strong>the</strong> local
inhabitants.
It must <strong>the</strong>refore generally be assumed that drinking water meets current
limit values, which state that <strong>the</strong> content of individual pesticide residues
must not exceed 0.1 microgramme per litre, while <strong>the</strong> total content of
pesticides must not exceed 0.5 microgrammes per litre.
With a normal consumption of 2 litres of water per day, a consumer thus
receives less than 0.2 microgrammes of an individual pesticide, and his
or her total pesticide intake <strong>from</strong> drinking water is less than 1
microgramme per day.
When <strong>the</strong> estimated maximum intake <strong>from</strong> drinking water of 1
microgramme per day is compared with <strong>the</strong> estimated intake of approx.
190 microgramme per day <strong>from</strong> fruit and vegetables, it must be
concluded that <strong>the</strong> intake <strong>from</strong> drinking water is generally negligible and
disappears in <strong>the</strong> uncertainty that lies in <strong>the</strong> estimation of <strong>the</strong> intake <strong>from</strong>
vegetable food products.
As will be seen <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> foregoing review of <strong>the</strong> pesticide intake <strong>from</strong>
<strong>the</strong> different types of food products and drinking water, <strong>the</strong> predominant
sources of <strong>the</strong> general population’s exposure to pesticides are fruit and
vegetables and cereals and cereal products, while <strong>the</strong> intake <strong>from</strong>
drinking water, animal food products and fish is of no significance for <strong>the</strong>
total exposure.
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