cannot use a banned OP will not switch to another OP. Clearly, some shift in acreage
from canceled OPs to acceptable ones is occurring and will continue. Given the lag
between the use of pesticides and the collection of USDA PDP residue data, the
results of the revised OP-CRA do not reflect the greater frequency of residues nor
higher levels for OPs that will be used more intensively in the future than they were
used in the past.
There is another source of significant uncertainty in projecting residue hot spots.
Although the EPA imposes risk mitigation measures in the United States via changes
in product label, the agency’s ability to project changes in residue profiles in imported
foods is often limited. Since imported foods and vegetables make up a large and
growing portion of the U.S. market, the EPA must rely heavily on the one regulatory
tool that can and will directly impact the share of OP risk accounted for by
imports—tolerance reductions.^35Organochlorine ResiduesOrganochlorines are some of the chemicals found most often in hundreds of tests
worldwide of human body tissue such as blood, fatty tissue, and breast milk. Because
of their chemical structure, organochlorines break down slowly, build up in fatty tis-
sue, and remain in our bodies for a long time. Pesticide residues on food are a major
source of organochlorine exposure. An investigation of organochlorine residues in the
U.S. food supply found that even those chemicals that have been banned for decades
still are found consistently in food samples tested by the FDA. This can be explained
in part by the long life spans of many organochlorines in the environment. Dieldrin
and the breakdown products of DDT, for example, can remain in soil for decades. In
addition, other countries continue to use organochlorine pesticides on food that is
imported into the United States, and residues can be transported via wind and water
currents.
Organochlorines contribute to many acute and chronic illnesses. Symptoms of
acute poisoning can include tremors, headache, dermal irritation, respiratory prob-
lems, dizziness, nausea, and seizures. Organochlorines are also associated with many
chronic diseases. Studies have found a correlation between organochlorine exposure
and various types of cancer, neurological damage (several organochlorines are known
neurotoxins), Parkinson’s disease, birth defects, respiratory illness, and immune dys-
function. Many organochlorines are known or suspected hormone disrupters, and
there is evidence that even extremely low levels of exposure in the womb can cause ir-
reversible damage to the reproductive and immune systems of the developing fetus.Are Organochlorines Regulated?The United States and other countries have banned many organochlorines because
of concerns about environmental impacts and human health effects. In addition to
DDT, the United States has banned aldrin, dieldrin, arochlor, chlordane, heptachlor,92 | Pesticides