PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN FOOD - 1981 Sponsored jointly by FAO and WHO EVALUATIONS 1981 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome FAO PLANT PRODUCTION AND PROTECTION PAPER 42 pesticide residues in food: 1981 evaluations the monographs data and recommendations of the 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, 23 November-2 December 1981 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome 1982 BROMIDE ION Explanation The 1968 Meeting reviewed bromide ion, and data relevant to this material are also included in the various reviews of brominated fumigants, especially bromomethane, carried out in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971 and 1979*. At the 1980 Meeting it was considered that a general review of bromide residues in relation to dietary intake should be considered in 1981 or at a future meeting. This monograph addendum sets out some data on intake as measured in total diet studies and some information on 'natural' crop levels. RESIDUES IN FOOD RESIDUES IN COMMODITIES IN COMMERCE OR AT CONSUMPTION Manske and Corneliussen (1974) reported that bromide ion residues were present in 81 out of 120 food composites examined in their total diet survey carried out in the USA in June and August 1970; the range of results reported was from 0.5 to 51 mg/kg. Bromide analysis of the total diet samples was subsequently discontinued and has not been resumed. Results reported are shown in Table 1; comparable data had been obtained in earlier years. TABLE 1. Bromide ion residues in total diet food composite groups, 1970, USA Food group Residues found (mg/kg) Average (mg/kg) Dairy products 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 5.0, 5.5 3.7 Meat, fish and poultry 2.0, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.0 5.4 Grain and cereal 7.0, 9.0, 14, 14, 14, 22, 25, 30 17 Potatoes 1.0, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 13, 16 6.2 Leafy vegetables 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.5, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 4.0, 5.1 7.8 Legume vegetables 1.5, 1.5, 2.0, 2.0, 4.0, 5.5 2.8 Root vegetables 0.5, 1.5, 3.5, 4.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 3.5 Garden fruits 0.5, 3.0, 3.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.0, 6.0 3.7 Fruits 0.5, 1.5, 1.5, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 3.6 Oils and fats 2.5, 5.5, 12, 12, 12 8.8 Sugars, etc. 0.5, 3.5, 5.5, 6.0, 7.5, 9.5, 12, 23 8.4 Beverages 1.5, 2.0, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 2.2 * See Annex II for FAO and WHO documentation. A report on total bromine residues observed in a total diet survey carried out in the United Kingdom in 1978-79 was made available to the Meeting (UK 1981). Table 2 shows the results obtained on each food group; five complete sets of food composites were examined. Levels are broadly similar to those shown in the survey by Manske and Corneliussen (1974) in the USA. TABLE 2. Total bromine content of total diet samples, 1978-79, UK Food Group Total bromine residues Daily intake (mg/kg) of bromine (mg) Range Mean Cereals 6 to 11 7.4 1.7 Meats 4 to 5 4.4 0.7 Fish 3 to 6 4.6 0.1 Fats <5 5 < 0.4 Fruits and sugars 1 to 5 2.4 0.4 Root vegetables 2 to 4 2.6 0.5 Other vegetables 6 to 40 19.2 2.1 Beverages <1 1 < 0.1 Milk 3 to 10 6 2.4 Total 8.4 Data on the bromine ion content of summer and winter duplicate 24-hour diets of workers were received from the Netherlands (Greve and Verschraagen 1977, 1978). Table 3 shows the ranges and means of the bromide ion content of the diets and the corresponding daily intakes per person. TABLE 3. Bromide ion content of duplicate diets in the Netherlands Bromide ion content Daily bromide ion intake No. in Season (mg/kg) per person (mg) Group Range Mean Range Mean 100 Summer, 1976 1.2-11.7 3.6 2.9-15 7.8 101 Winter, 1978 1.1-8.2 3.2 1.8-17 7.6 A further report from the Netherlands gave details of a two-year total diet (market basket) study based on the diets of 16 to 18-year- old boys (de Vcs and van Dokkum 1980). Table 4 shows the detailed results on the 12 samples in each of the 12 groups into which the diets were divided. Maximum intake per person has been calculated from these results to be 13.4 mg, with a mean figure of 9.4 mg. In the Netherlands, the maximum permissible daily intake is regarded as being 10 mg per person. TABLE 4. Bromide ion content of total diet groups Food Group Range Mean Median (mg/kg) (mg/kg) (mg/kg) Grain products 10-19 13 12 Potatoes and potato products 0.55-16 3.4 2.4 Green vegetables 0.9-5.8 2.1 1.7 Root vegetables 0.36-3.2 2.0 2.1 Leguminous vegetables 0.70-5.0 1.7 1.4 Fruits 0.07-4.9 0.82 0.28 Meat and meat products 2.1-4.0 3.1 3.1 Fish 4.6-8.0 6.6 6.7 Milk and milk products 1.7-5.5 3.6 3.9 Oils and fats 5-22 11 10 Sugar and preserves 0.7-2.2 1.3 1.3 Beverages and drinking water 0.09-0.30 0.19 0.20 Inorganic bromine in soils in the United Kingdom do not normally exceed 5 mg/kg dry weight, except for coastal soils which can attain levels of 100 mg/kg. Levels in rain water and surface waters generally do not exceed 1 mg. Information drawn from a review of the literature indicates that natural bromine levels in fresh fruit and vegetables can generally be expected to be below 10 mg/kg fresh weight and will not normally exceed 50 mg/kg fresh weight. Table 5 gives some UK 'natural' levels of total bromine, which were found from the analysis of a limited survey on the elemental composition of field crops, undertaken in 1976 (UK 1981). TABLE 5. 'Natural' levels of total bromine in crops grown in the UK Crop1 Range of total bromine levels in five different cultivars of each crop (mg/kg fresh weight) Wheat 0.6 - 1.0 Barley 1.9 - 3.7 Cabbage 0.3 - 2.0 Potatoes 0.3 - 1.0 Broad beans 0.5 - 1.1 Peas 0.5 - 3.0 1 Grain and vegetable samples were obtained from various experimental stations, prepared as for cooking or eating, sliced or shredded, air dried and analysed by neutron activation techniques. In 1979, 10 samples of wheat flour intended for human consumption were analysed for bromide ion content. Levels found ranged from 1.4 to 9.0 mg/kg, with a mean value of 4.5 mg/kg (UK 1981). The use of bromomethane as a soil sterilant in glasshouses can give rise to bromide ion residues in subsequent crops. Retail samples of tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces, home produced and imported, have therefore been examined for total bromine levels. In tomatoes, levels were generally below 5 mg/kg, but exceeded 30 mg/kg in 12 of the samples. Of 107 samples of cucumbers, 102 had less than 5 mg/kg of total bromine, but two had more than 100 mg/kg. Residue levels in lettuce were much more evenly spread, ranging up to 2 000 mg/kg; although the majority were below 100 mg/kg, 20 percent of the samples examined exceeded this figure (UK 1981). A range of 22 samples of bottled, canned and draught beers was examined for bromide ion content; results are shown in Table 6. Levels are remarkably consistent and generally low, with a maximum of 2.1 mg/kg (UK 1981). TABLE 6. Bromide ion content of various beers Bromide ion concentration Commodity No. of 1 (mg/kg) analyses Range Mean Bottled beers 32 0.37 to 1.5 0.8 Canned beers 20 0.85 to 2.1 1.4 Draught beers 36 0.53 to 1.3 0.9 1 Each sample was analysed four times. The use of organobromine fumigants in food storage practice and in the treatment of soil used for the production of glasshouse crops has resulted in bromine residues in foodstuffs being raised above 'natural' levels. Cereals, vegetables (other than root vegetables) and milk are the most important contributors to bromine residues in the average diet. Extensive data on bromine residues in milk are not available, apart from the data obtained in the analysis of the UK total diet samples where the levels found ranged between those found in other dietary items. Further work is desirable to study levels of bromine in milk and milk products, because the consumption of milk is high and this item of the diet can contribute significantly to the overall intake of bromine. The high bromine contribution from the cereals group is probably a reflection both of the extensive use of bromomethane as a cereal fumigant and of the large daily consumption of such foods as bread or breakfast cereals. The 'other vegetables' group of the total diet includes lettuces, which appear to be items most likely to give rise to high dietary intakes of bromine. Average consumption of lettuce containing average amounts of bromine residues is not likely to lead to a daily intake in excess of the present ADI. METHODS OF RESIDUE ANALYSIS Methods for the determination of bromine in foods, as organic, inorganic or total, have been reviewed by Getzendaner (1975). The gas- liquid chromatographic procedure developed for bromide ion in grain (Heuser and Scudamore 1970), has been adapted for use on lettuce as reported by Greve and Grevenstuck (1979), and versions of this method are now widely accepted for use on various foodstuffs. EVALUATION APPRAISAL Some data on dietary intakes of bromide ion in USA (1970), UK (1978-79) and the Netherlands (1976-80) have been reviewed, together with some additional information regarding 'natural' and post- treatment levels in some crops. The average daily intakes of 8.4 mg (UK) and 9.4 (Netherlands) compare favourably with the calculated allowable daily intake for a 60 kg adult of 60 mg. FURTHER WORK OR INFORMATION Desirable 1. Data on dietary intake of bromide ion from countries other than the Netherlands, USA and UK, especially those with different dietary patterns. 2. Further data on the bromide ion content of milk and dairy products. REFERENCES de Vos, R.H. and van Dokkum, W. Kwantitatief onderzoek naar de 1980 aanwezigheid van additieven in chemische contaminanten in totale dagvoedingen. Rapport nr. R. 6331 (CIVO/TNO). Getzendaner, M.E. A review of bromine determination in foods. Journal 1975 of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 58: 711 - 716. Greve, P.A. and Grevenstuck, W.B.F. Gas-liquid chromatographic 1979 determination of bromide ion in lettuce: interlaboratory studies. Journal of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 62: 1155 - 1159. Greve, P.A. and Verschraagen, C. Anorganisch bromide in totale dieten. 1977 Intern rapport nr. 75/77 Tox-RoB (RIV). (Unpublished) 1978 Anorganisch bromide in duplicaat 24-unrsvoedingen. Intern. rapport nr. 162/78 RA (RIV). (Unpublished) Heuser, S.G. and Scudamore, K.A. Selective determination of ionised 1970 bromide and organic bromides in foodstuffs by gas-liquid chromatography. Pesticide Science, 1: 244 - 249. Manske, D.E. and Corneliussen, P.E. Pesticide residues in total diet 1974 samples (VII) Pesticides Monitoring Journal, 8: 110 - 124. UK Information on bromide ion residues from the United Kingdom. 1981 (Unpublished).
See Also: Toxicological Abbreviations Bromide ion (FAO/PL:1968/M/9/1) Bromide Ion (FAO/PL:1969/M/17/1) Bromide Ion (Pesticide residues in food: 1983 evaluations) Bromide ion (Pesticide residues in food: 1988 evaluations Part II Toxicology)