Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health

The Dane's dietary pattern
and daily intake of
pesticides
Calculation of <strong>the</strong> daily
intake in different
scenarios for reduced use
of pesticides
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gave <strong>the</strong> Veterinary & Food Administration cause for concern with
respect to public health (Büchert, Engell 1998).
There is a lack of data on <strong>the</strong> distribution of Danish consumption
between Danish and imported food products. 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. On <strong>the</strong> basis of earlier
trade figures and agricultural statistics, it has been estimated 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 all imported food products. 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 food products, 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.
The variation in <strong>the</strong> Danish consumers' dietary pattern can be judged on
<strong>the</strong> basis of <strong>the</strong> National Food Agency's dietary study in 1995. The
results of this study, which covered more than 1,800 persons, are
summarised in table 6.2 in section 6.2. This table gives <strong>the</strong> average
intake and selected fractiles for <strong>the</strong> adult population. The intake of
pesticide residues was calculated as described in section 6.2 for all <strong>the</strong>
pesticides detected in <strong>the</strong> studies of fruit and vegetables in 1996 and
1997. The intakes <strong>from</strong> Danish and imported food products were
calculated separately, without detailed specification of <strong>the</strong> origin of <strong>the</strong>
products (for details, see Büchert 1998). The results show a total average
intake of pesticides of 190 microgrammes per day. The intake of 6
pesticides/groups of pesticides, carbendazim, dithiocarbamates,
iprodione, o-phenyl-phenol, procymidon and thiabendazol, corresponds
to half <strong>the</strong> total intake, while <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r half is distributed over about 60
individual compounds.
The total average load <strong>from</strong> food products is estimated to be approx. 200
microgrammes of pesticide per day, more than half of which comes <strong>from</strong>
some few types of food products – namely, citrus fruit, potatoes and
apples. Around 60% comes <strong>from</strong> imported products and 40% <strong>from</strong>
Danish products. There are big variations in <strong>the</strong> calculated numerical
values, and, in practice, <strong>the</strong> total intake is estimated to lie between very
low and about 600 microgrammes per day. However, since most of <strong>the</strong>
residual content in citrus fruit is in <strong>the</strong> peel, which is not eaten, <strong>the</strong> actual
daily intake of pesticides is less than 200 microgrammes per day. In this
estimate, <strong>the</strong> intake via Danish products accounts for more than 50% of
<strong>the</strong> total intake.
The calculations of <strong>the</strong> daily intake cover both Danish and imported food
products. Assuming that <strong>the</strong> diet's relative composition of Danish and
imported food products does not change, <strong>the</strong> daily intake can be
estimated for <strong>the</strong> scenarios set up. These involve a reduction of <strong>the</strong> use of
pesticides in Denmark of 31% in <strong>the</strong> ++scenario, 80% in <strong>the</strong> +scenario,
95% in <strong>the</strong> 0+scenario and 100% in <strong>the</strong> 0-scenario. The results are shown
in figure 10.12.