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During these decades, Pesticides have been used in large quantities in agriculture and horticulture. The industry as well, has utilized great quantity of chlorinated compounds such as polychlorbiphenyl. This intensive usage has had a significant impact on environment and also on the elements of the life chain.
Due to the toxicity of all these products, the governments have limited, controlled and also prohibited their usage. Despite these actions, the stability of these products is such that we still detect them in the environment. Nevertheless the concentrations have gradually decrease to their todays level.
The actual study has been conducted to measure the concentrations of the organochlorine pesticides and polychlorbiphenyls in the different current food products, and to see if these concentrations may have a negative impact on the public health.
We have analysed 2399 samples from different nature, commonly used in the normal diet of the household (samples of meat, fish, milk and oil products). These analysis have pointed out that all measured concentration are weak. We have not been able to see a significant difference of concentrations between fresh products or prepared products.
Each result has been compared to the maximal authorized value from the Belgian law to ensure that residue concentration were not in excess with the official tolerance level. In these legislation there is no maximal value for organochlorine pesticides in fish, and nothing exists for polychlorobiphenyls. All other results stay below the tolerance level.
To examine possible effect on health, average, median and maximal values have been compared to Acceptable Daily Intake value (A.D.I.).
The following table gives an overview of the percent of A.D.I. for an average residue concentration, for an average ingestion of all food and for a 60 kg person weight.
Average consommation of all foods:
This table shows that the A.D.I. values recommended by FAO/WHO are respected. The highest values of the table are due to more strictly recommended values for this pesticide.
In conclusion, Belgian legal tolerances for organochlorine pesticides are respected. The percent of A.D.I. for an average residue concentration, an average ingestion of food and for a 60 kg person weight are lower than 11.6% of the recommended value by the international bodies.
To confirm the results obtained and continue to observe an eventuel variation of pesticide or polychlorobiphenyl concentration it will be suitable to maintain a study of food stuffs.
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