PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN FOOD - 1979


    Sponsored jointly by FAO and WHO






    EVALUATIONS 1979





    Joint meeting of the
    FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues
    in Food and the Environment
    and the
    WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues
    Geneva, 3-12 December 1979



    ACEPHATE

    Explanation

    This compound was evaluated in 1976.  The 1979 CCPR asked the
    Meeting to resolve whether or not the expression for acephate
    residues should include methamidophos, itself an insecticide, which
    occurs as a degradation product.  Some changes in the recommended
    MRLs were also proposed by some countries.

    This monograph should be considered together with that for
    methamidophos.

    APPRAISAL

    On re-examination of the data submitted to the 1976 Meeting, it was
    found that the change in the MRL for lettuce from 10 mg/kg to 5
    mg/kg and soybean from 1 to 0.5 mg/kg can be supported.  No new
    data were provided to support changes in the MRLs proposed for
    Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower.  Available data are
    inadequate to support an extrapolation from the 3 days pre-harvest
    interval (PHI) on which the existing MRLs are based to one of 14
    days.

    Methamidophos residues generally occur at about 10% of the acephate
    residues on application of acephate.  Available data indicate that
    this presence would not cause existing MRLs for acephate to be
    exceeded.

    The meeting considered that the MRL would be for acephate and that
    whatever methamidophos could be detected from the application of
    acephate would be covered by MRLs for methamidophos.

    RECOMMENDATIONS

    The following amended maximum residue limits for acephate are
    recommended.

         Commodity                      Limit          PHI
                                       (mg/kg)        (days)

         Lettuce                         5             14
         Soybeans                        0.5           14

    FURTHER WORK OR INFORMATION

    Desirable

    Validation of methods of residue analysis for regulatory purposes.
    

    See Also:
       Toxicological Abbreviations
       Acephate (ICSC)
       Acephate (Pesticide residues in food: 1976 evaluations)
       Acephate (Pesticide residues in food: 1981 evaluations)
       Acephate (Pesticide residues in food: 1982 evaluations)
       Acephate (Pesticide residues in food: 1984 evaluations)
       Acephate (Pesticide residues in food: 1984 evaluations)
       Acephate (Pesticide residues in food: 1987 evaluations Part II Toxicology)
       Acephate (Pesticide residues in food: 1988 evaluations Part II Toxicology)
       Acephate (Pesticide residues in food: 1990 evaluations Toxicology)
       Acephate (JMPR Evaluations 2002 Part II Toxicological)
       Acephate (JMPR Evaluations 2005 Part II Toxicological)