5/3/2017 CAES:RemovalofTracePesticideResiduesfromProduce

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RemovalofTracePesticideResiduesfromProduce

AC003(10/00)
AccomplishmentReport
RemovalofTracePesticideResiduesfromProduce
AffirmativeActionPolicy
AmericanswithDisability ByDr.WalterJ.Krol
Act(ADA)Notice DepartmentofAnalyticalChemistry
ArthropodManagement TheConnecticutAgriculturalExperimentStation
Database 123HuntingtonStreet
AsianLonghornedBeetle P.O.Box1106
(ALB) NewHaven,CT065041106
BedBugs(CCABB)
Telephone:(203)9748456Fax:(203)9748502
BoardofControl Email:Walter.Krol@ct.gov
BoxwoodBlight
Background
CenterforVectorBiology TheDepartmentofAnalyticalChemistryattheConnecticutAgriculturalExperimentStation(CAES)has
andZoonoticDiseases
(CVBZD)
establishedaprograminconjunctiontheDepartmentofConsumerProtection(DCP)toexaminefruitsand
vegetablessoldinthestateforpesticideresidues.Theprimarygoalofthisprogramistodetermineifthe
CodeofEthics amountsandtypesofpesticidesfoundonfruitsandvegetablesareinaccordancewiththetolerancessetby
CooperativeAgricultural theEPA.Violationsofthelawoccurwhenpesticidesarenotusedinaccordancewithlabelregistrationand
PestSurvey(CAPS) areappliedinexcessiveamounts,orwhenpesticidesareappliedtocropsonwhichtheyarenotallowed
Departments
Overthepasttenyearsmoreresidueshaveconsistentlybeenfoundonrawproducethanonthe
Director'sReport
correspondingprocessedcommodities.Thisledtothehypothesisthatcertaintypesofprocessingor
EmeraldAshBorer householdpreparationmayservetoreducepesticideresidues.Hypothesizingthatrinsingduringthe
(Agrilusplanipennis) processingproceduremayplaysomeroleinreducingresiduelevels,weinitiatedastudytoexaminethe
(EAB)
effectsthatrinsingproduceundertapwaterhasuponpesticideresiduelevels.Theresultsofthisstudyare
Events presentedbelow.
ExperimentStation
Associates(ESA) Numerousfruitandvegetablewashproductsrecentlyappearedinthemarketplace.Fourfruitandvegetable
GypsyMoth(Lymantria washproducts,FIT,Fruit&VegetableWash,Organiclean,andVegiClean,werecomparedtoaone
dispar) percentPalmolivesolutionandtorinsingalonetogaugetheeffectivenessoftheseproductsatremoving
InsectInformationOffice pesticideresiduesfromproduce.Theseresultsarealsopresented.
IntheNews RinsingwithTapWater
InvasiveAquaticPlant Althoughithasbeenassumedformanyyearsthatrinsingfruitsandvegetablepriortoconsumptionreduces
Program(IAPP) theamountsofpesticideresidues,thisanecdotalapproachneededlaboratoryconfirmation.Thereare
JobOpportunities numerousstudiesinthescientificliteraturethathaveexaminedtheeffectofwashingproducetoremove
pesticideresiduesasastepincommercialcropprocessing.Thesestudiesareoflittlepracticalusetothe
LicensesandPermits
consumerwhowantstoknowwhateffecthouseholdpreparationhasuponreducingpesticideresiduelevels.
MosquitoandArbovirus Therearealsoahandfulofstudiesthatexaminetheeffectsofwashingaspartoflargerhousehold
SurveillanceProgram
preparationstudies.Inmostcases,howeverthesamplesizesweretoosmalltoapplystatisticalanalysis
PlantDiseaseInformation (1).
Office(PDIO)
PlantPestHandbook In1997weinitiatedaresearchprogramwhoseobjectivewastoexaminetheeffectthatthesimple
householdtechniqueofrinsingwithtapwaterwouldhaveuponreducingpesticideresiduesinproduce.A
PollinatorInformation
widevarietyofcropsthatcontainedresidueswereexamined.
Publications
ResearchFoundation,Inc.
ResiduesofDDE,ametaboliteofDDT,werealsostudied.Althoughmanypersistentorganohalogen
pesticides(POPs),suchasDDT,werebannedforuseonfoodcropsbetween1972and1978intheUnited
SeminarSeries States,theyhaveremainedintheenvironmentwheretheycontinuetobeincorporatedintoplantbiomass
SoilTestingLaboratory (1).
TheHistoryofPublic
HealthatCAES1904 Datapresentedinthisstudyshowthatashortrinseintapwaterreducespesticideresiduesonmanytypes
2009 ofproduce(Table1).Residuesofvinclozolin,bifenthrinandchlorpyrifoswerenotreduced.Thisstudyalso
showsthatthewatersolubilityofpesticidesdoesnotplayasignificantroleintheobserveddecrease.The
TickManagement
Handbook majorityofpesticideresidueappearstoresideonthesurfaceofproducewhereitisremovedbythe
mechanicalactionofrinsing(1).
TickTestingLaboratory
USDACenterfor Table1.Resultsoftapwaterrinsinginreducingresiduesacrossallcommodities.
Excellence
Videos Pesticides PairsofData SignificantlyReduced WaterSolubility
WeatherData (mg/L@20C)
Insecticides

http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2815&q=376676 1/3
5/3/2017 CAES:RemovalofTracePesticideResiduesfromProduce
Endosulfan 60 Yes 0.32
Permethrin 37 Yes 0.2

Diazinon 22 Yes 40
DDE 21 Yes <1
Chlorpyrifos 13 No 2
Methoxychlor 12 Yes 0.1
Malathion 7 Yes 130
Bifenthrin 7 No 0.1

Fungicides
Captan 34 Yes 3.3
Vinclozolin 23 No 3.4
Iprodione 13 Yes 13
Chlorothalonil 9 Yes 0.6

FruitandVegetableWashRinsing
IntheSpringandSummerof2000,theeffectivenessoffourcommerciallyavailablefruitandvegetable
washproductsatremovingpesticideresiduesfromproducewascomparedtoa1%solutionofPalmolive
andtorinsingwithtapwateralone.Theninepesticidesexaminedinthisstudyincludedmanyofthosefrom
ourpreviousstudy.Thethreefungicideschlorothalonil,iprodione,andvinclozolinwereexaminedaswas
theherbicideDCNA,andtheinsecticidesbifenthrin,diazinon,endosulfan,malathionandpermethrin.

Atotaloftwentyeightharvestsweremadeincludingsixteenoflettuce,fourofstrawberry,fourof
tomatoes,andfourcontrollettucebatches.Eachbatchwasdividedintoseventreatmentgroups.Onegroup
wasanalyzedinanunrinsedstateasreceivedfromthefieldonegroupwasrinsedundertapwaterforone
minute.ThefiveremaininggroupswereindividuallytreatedwitheitherFIT,Fruit&VegetableWash,
Organiclean,VegiClean,ora1%solutionofPalmoliveandthenrinsedundertapwaterforone
minute.Inthecaseofthecontrollettucebatchesallseventreatmentgroupswereprocessedinanunrinsed
statetoensurethateachgroupcontainedstatisticallyequivalentpesticideresiduelevels.

Atotalof196sampleswereprocessed.Detailedstatisticalanalysisshowedthatinallcasesatleastone
groupwasdifferentfromtherest.Pairwisecomparisonshowedthatthegroupthatwasdifferentwasthe
unrinsedproduce.Thereislittleornodifferencebetweentapwaterrinsingorusingafruitandvegetable
washinreducingresiduesoftheninepesticidesstudied.Theremovalofwaxesand/ordirtfromthe
producewasnotexaminedaspartofthisstudy.

Suggestions
Datafromourannualmarketbasketsurvey(2)continuetoshowthatresiduesofpesticidesonfruitsand
vegetablesinConnecticutaregenerallywellwithinthetolerancessetbytheEPA.Tominimizethedietary
intakeofpesticideresiduesonfoodwesuggestthattheconsumertakethefollowingstepsbaseduponour
studiestodate.

Ataminimumrinseallfreshproduceundertapwaterforatleastthirtyseconds.
Themechanicalactionofrubbingtheproduceundertapwaterislikelyresponsibleforremoving
pesticideresidues.Milddetergentsorfruitandvegetablewashesdonotenhancetheremovalof
pesticideresiduesfromproduceabovethatofrinsingwithtapwateralone.

References

1.W.J.Krol,T.L.Arsenault,H.M.Pylypiw,M.J.I.Mattina.J.Argic.FoodChem.2000,48,46664670.

2.W.J.Krol,T.L.Arsenault,M.J.I.Mattina"PesticideResiduesinFoodSoldinConnecticut1999"
ConnecticutAgriculturalExperimentStationBulletin964,April,2000.

Summary

Athreeyearstudyshowedthatrinsingundertapwatersignificantlyreducedresiduesofnineofthetwelve
pesticidesexaminedacrossfourteencommodities.Fourfruitandvegetablewashproductswerefoundtobe
nomoreeffectiveatremovingeightofninepesticideresiduesfromproducethaneithera1%solutionof
dishwashingliquidorrinsingundertapwateraloneforthreecommoditiesstudied.

ContentLastModifiedon6/28/201211:12:31AM

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