PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN FOOD - 1990
JOINT FAO/WHO MEETING ON PESTICIDE RESIDUES
EVALUATIONS 1990
TOXICOLOGY
Sponsored jointly by FAO and WHO
with the support of the International Programme
on Chemical Safety (IPCS)
Joint meeting of the
FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues
in Food and the Environment
and the
WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues
Rome, 17-26 September 1990
This report contains the collective views of two international
groups of experts and does not necessarily represent the decisions
nor the stated policy of the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations or the World Health Organization.
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
The preparatory work for the toxicological evaluations of pesticide
residues carried out by the WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues
for consideration by the FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on pesticide Residues
in Food and the Environment is actively supported by the International
Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS).
The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) is a joint
venture of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International
Labour Organisation, and the World Health Organization. One of the
main objectives of the IPCS is to carry out and disseminate
evaluations of the effects of chemicals on human health and the
quality of the environment.
IPCS gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Dr. G. Burin, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, for editing these monographs.
ISBN 92 4 166506 8
(c) World Health Organization 1991
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The designations employed and the presentation of the material in
this publication do not imply the impression of any opinion whatsoever
on the part of the Secretariat of the World Health Organization
concerning the legal status of every country, territory, city, or area
or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers
or boundaries.
The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers'
products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the
World Health Organization in preference to others of a similar nature
that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of
proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of those attending the meeting
Abbreviations
Introduction
The Monographs
Acephate
Captan
Chlorothalonil
Coumaphos
* Cyromazine
Ethion
Folpet
* Hexaconazole
Methacrifos
Methamidophos
2-Phenylphenol
* Profenofos
* Terbufos
ANNEX 1. Reports and other documents resulting from previous joint
meetings of the FAO panel of experts on pesticide residues
in food and the environment and WHO expert groups on
pesticide residues
* First full evaluation
1990 JOINT MEETING OF THE FAO PANEL OF EXPERTS ON PESTICIDE RESIDUES
IN FOOD AND THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE WHO EXPERT GROUP ON PESTICIDE
RESIDUES
Rome, 17 - 26 September 1990
PARTICIPANTS
WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues
Professor U.G. Ahlborg, Head, Unit of Toxicology, Karolinska
Institute, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden
Dr A.L. Black, Medical Services Adviser in Toxicology, Department of
Community Services and Health, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia
Dr J.F. Borzelleca, Professor Pharmacology, Toxicology, Medical
College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond,
Virginia, USA (Vice-Chairman)
Mr D.J. Clegg, Head, Agricultural Chemicals Section, Toxicological
Evaluation Division, Health Protection Branch, Health and Welfare
Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Rapporteur)
Professor A. Rico, Head, Biochemical and Metabolic Toxicology
Laboratory (INRA) Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Toulouse, France
Dr G. Ungvary, Head, Section of Toxicology, National Institute of
Occupational Health, Budapest, Hungary
FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the
Environment
Mr J.A.R. Bates, Formerly Head, Pesticide Registration and
Surveillance Department Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and
Food, Westoning, Beds, England
Professor Dr A.F.H. Besemer, Formerly Chair of Phytopharmacy,
Agricultural University, Wageningen, Netherlands
Dr R. Greenhalgh, Plant Research Centre, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada (Rapporteur)
Mr D.J. Hamilton, Assistant Director, Agricultural Chemistry Branch,
Department of Primary Industries, Queensland Government, Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia (Chairman)
Mr N.F. Ives, Health Effects Division, Office of Pesticide Programs,
US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
Mr K. Voldum-Clausen, National Food Agency of Denmark, Soborg, Denmark
Mr Wuji Zhuang, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of
Research Chemical China Import and Export Commodity Inspection
Institute, Beijing, China
Secretariat
Mrs E. Arnold, Toxicological Evaluation Division, Health Protection
Branch Health and Welfare Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (WHO
Temporary Adviser)
Professor C.L. Berry, Department of Morbid Anatomy, The London
Hospital Medical College, The Royal London Hospital, London,
England (WHO Temporary Adviser)
Dr G. Burin Health Effects Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, US
Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA (WHO
Temporary Adviser)
Dr S. Caroldi University of Padua, Padua Italy (WHO Temporary
Adviser)
Dr E. Casadei, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Food and
Agriculture Organization, Rome Italy
Dr H. Galal-Gorchev, International Programme on Chemical Safety, WHO,
Geneva, Switzerland
Dr J.L. Herrman, International Programme on Chemical Safety, WHO,
Geneva, Switzerland (WHO Joint Secretary)
Dr J. van der Kolk, Foodstuffs Division, Ministry of Welfare, Health
and Cultural Affairs, Rijswijk, Netherlands
Dr F.-W. Kopisch-Obuch, Pesticide Residues Specialist, Plant
Protection Service Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome Italy
(FAO Joint Secretary)
Dr J.-R. Lundehn, Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture
and Forestry (BBA), Braunschweig, Germany
Mr A.F. Machin, London, England (FAO Consultant)
Dr D. McGregor, Unit of Carcinogen Identification and Evaluation,
International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
Dr O. Meyer, Ministry of Health, National Food Agency of Denmark,
Institute of Toxicology, SØborg, Denmark (WHO Temporary Adviser)
Dr R. Plestina, International Programme on Chemical Safety, WHO,
Geneva, Switzerland
Dr J.A. Quest, Head, Science Support Section, Health Effects Division,
Office of Pesticide Programs, US Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, DC, USA (WHO Temporary Adviser)
Dr A. Takanaka Head, Division of Pharmacology, Biological Safety
Research Center, National Institute of Hygienic Sciences, Tokyo,
Japan (WHO Temporary Adviser)
Dr E.M. den Tonkelaar, Toxicologist, Toxicology Advisory Centre,
National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection,
Bilthoven, Netherlands (WHO Temporary Adviser)
Mr M. Walsh Administrator EEC, Législation des produits végétaux et de
nutrition animale, Brussels, Belgium (WHO Temporary Adviser)
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THESE MONOGRAPHS
ACH acetylcholine
AChE acetylcholinesterase
ADP adenosine diphosphate
a.i. active ingredient
ALAT alanine aminotransferase
ATP adenosine triphosphate
BUN blood urea nitrogen
ChE cholinesterase
CMC carboxymethylcellulose
CNS central nervous system
DMPT dimethyl phosphorothioate
DMSO dimethylsulfoxide
DNA deoxyribonucleic acid
EC emulsifiable concentrate
EL emulsifiable liquid
F0 parental generation
F1 filial generation, first
F2 filial generation, second
GGT (alpha)-glutamyltransferase
G.I. gastrointestinal
GOT glutamate-oxoloacetate transaminase
GPT glutamate-pyruvate transaminase
GSH glutathione
GST glutathione-S-transferase
Hb haemoglobin
HCG human chorionic gonadotropin
HGRPT hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase
HPLC high pressure liquid chromatography
HT haematocrit
I50 inhibitory dose, 50%
IBT Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories, Inc.
i.p. intraperitoneal
LC50 lethal concentration, median
LD50 lethal dose, median
LOAEL lowest-observed-adverse-effect-level
m metre
M molar
MCH mean corpuscular haemoglobin
MCV mean corpuscular volume
ml milliliter
NOAEL no-observed-adverse-effect level
NTE neurotoxic target esterase
2-PAM 2-pralidoxime
PCV haematocrit (packed corpuscular volume)
RBC red blood cell
RNA ribonucleic acid
SAP serum alkaline phosphatase
SPF specific pathogen free
TLC thin layer chromatography
TMPO trimethylphosphate
TOCP tri-o-cresyl phosphate
TWA time weighted average
UDS unscheduled DNA synthesis
WBC white blood cell
WD wettable dust
INTRODUCTION
The toxicology monographs and monograph addenda contained in this
volume were prepared by a WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues that
met with the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and
the Environment in a Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) in
Rome, Italy, 17 September to 26 September 1990. These monographs
summarize the safety data on those pesticide residues for which
sufficient information was provided to the WHO Expert Group for it to
make decisions regarding acceptable daily intakes.
Most of the compounds considered by the WHO Expert Group at this
Meeting had been evaluated at previous meetings and only new
information is summarized in the relevant "monograph addenda". In the
case of coumaphos, a previously prepared monograph addendum which was
not published has been included with new information. In the case of
terbufos, the monograph prepared for the 1989 meeting is published in
its entirety. Reference is made to reports and other documents
resulting from previous Joint Meetings of the FAO Panel of Experts on
Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and WHO Expert Groups
on Pesticide Residues which are listed in Annex 1. The appropriate
documents should be consulted to obtain a full toxicological profile
of the chemicals under consideration.
The report of the Joint Meeting has been published by the Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations as FAO Plant
Production and Protection Paper No. 102. The report contains brief
comments on the compounds under consideration, acceptable daily
intakes established by the WHO Expert Group, and maximum residue
limits or guideline levels established by the FAO Panel of Experts.
Residues monographs prepared by the FAO Panel of Experts have been
published as a companion volume to this one: Evaluations 1990, Part I-
Residues, in the FAO Plant Production and Protection Paper series
103/1.
The toxicology monographs and monograph addenda contained in this
volume are based upon working papers that were prepared by temporary
advisers in advance of the 1990 Joint Meeting.
The preparation and editing of the monographs included in this
volume have been made possible through the technical and financial
contributions of the lead institutions of the International Programme
on Chemical Safety (IPCS), which support the activities of JMPR. The
designations employed and the presentation of the material in this
publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on
the part of the Central Unit of the IPCS concerning the legal status
of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities, or con-
cerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention
of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not
imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the IPCS in preference
to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.
Any comments or new information on the biological or
toxicological data on the compounds reported in this document should
be addressed to: Joint WHO Secretary of the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on
Pesticide Residues, International Programme on Chemical Safety, World
Health Organization, Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.