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Environmental Issues in Food Science 1 Environmental Regulation Silent Spring (Rachel Carson) Early regulation NEPA Clean Water Clean Air Hazardous Waste Food Quality Protection Act 2 Environmental Regulation and Foods Raw Product Contaminants Environmental Protection Agency Pesticides Organic Foods Food Sanitation Food Production and Waste Disposal 3 Relevant Inquiry: Can we grow enough food without using pesticides or other environmental contaminants? 4 Global Food Supplies Current global food supply, evenly distributed, is estimated to be sufficient for an adequate diet for the world’s nearly six billion people Earth’s carrying capacity is finite Animal agriculture provides, in the form of meat, milk, and eggs, approximately one-sixth of all human food energy and more than one-third of human food protein 5 Global Food Supplies Food demand will rise significantly Expanding populations will make a doubling of food output imperative in the next 30 years 250,000 people added to population each day 1.2. billion hectares - equivalent to combined area of China and India, have been impaired as a consequence of human activity 6 Global Food Supplies Erosion and overuse of agricultural land are dramatically increasing water shortages in densely populated regions 17 million hectares of forests, converted to unsustainable agricultural purposes Last remaining food reservoir, is nearing exhaustion. Fish catches in international waters have reached their limits 7 Global Food Supplies Feed grains = grains fed to animals as opposed to grain directly consumed by humans Animals produce food from large quantities of plant materials that humans cannot eat Nutritional value of animal products high at low intakes Soylent Green? 8 Raw Product Contaminants Pesticides – Atrazine Metals – Lead, Mercury Chemical Contaminants – Dioxins, PCBs Microbiological Contaminants – Bacteria, Fungi, Molds 9 Responsible for a number of activities that contribute to food security within the United States Food safety, water quality, and pesticide applicator training Primary contribution to food security is through its program to regulate the use of pesticide 10 Responsible for registration of new pesticides before they can be marketed and the re-registration of older pesticides to ensure that they meet current scientific standards 1996, President Clinton signed Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 11 Food Quality and Protection Act 1966 Amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) Changed the way EPA regulates pesticides. Proposed new safety standard “reasonable certainty of no harm” that must be applied to all pesticides used on food 12 FQPA EPA must review the safety of all existing tolerances (maximum residue limits) that were in effect when FQPA was passed. Review of all existing uses of a pesticide when a new use is proposed Highest priority place on tolerance reassessment on pesticides that appear to pose the greatest risk 13 FQPA By August 1999, EPA must reassess 33 percent of existing tolerances Pesticides that were not reassessed by August 1999 will be completed by 2002 14 Raw Products and Pesticides Agriculture is the major user of pesticides 75% of use by volume Industrial, commercial, and governmental users = 18% Home and garden users = 7% Herbicides for weed control account for the largest volume of agricultural pesticide use (59%), primarily on corn and soybeans 15 Raw Products and Pesticides smaller quantities of other pesticides are used in agriculture – fungicides – rodenticides – fumigants – Sterilants FIFRA prohibits sale of any pesticide in the United States unless it is registered 16 Pesticide Exports 440 million pounds of pesticides were exported 29% of all domestic pesticide production and 10% of world consumption valued at approximately $2 billion quarter of U.S. pesticide exports involve unregistered pesticides 17 Pesticides Imports United States cannot control the use of unregistered pesticides in other countries FDCA prohibits food imports with residues of unregistered pesticides, or pesticides that exceed tolerances United States imports approximately 15% of total domestic consumption of agricultural products FDA physically samples only about 2% of all imports for pesticide residue levels 18 Pesticide Residues Widely used in producing food Pesticides may remain in small amounts (called residues) in or on fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods EPA regulates the amount of each pesticide that may remain in and on foods. 19 Pesticides 865 active ingredients registered as pesticides 350 pesticides are used on the foods we eat Includes insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, insect repellants, weed killers, antimicrobials, and swimming pool chemicals, which are designed to prevent, destroy, repel, or reduce pests of any sort. 20 Pesticides Food Quality and Protection Act Pesticide Tolerances New Safety Standard applied to all raw products “Certainty of no harm” 21 EPA Pesticide Safety Assessment 1. 2. 3. 4. Hazard Identification Dose-Response Assessment Exposure Assessment Risk Characterization 22 Hazard Identification Identify potential health effects that may occur from different types of pesticide exposure Considers the full spectrum of a pesticide’s potential health effects Toxicity studies are conducted on animals by pesticide companies in independent laboratories and evaluated for acceptability by EPA scientists 23 Dose-Response Assessment The amount of a substance a person is exposed to, How toxic the chemical might be, Considering the dose levels at which adverse effects were observed in test animals, and using these dose levels to calculate an equal dose in humans. 24 Exposure Assessment People can be exposed to pesticides in three ways: 1. Inhalation exposure, 2. Absorbing pesticides through the skin 3. Oral exposure Typical sources of pesticide exposure include: Foods Home and Personal Use Pesticides in Drinking Water Worker Exposure to Pesticides 25 Risk Characterization the process of combining the hazard, dose-response and exposure assessments to describe the overall risk from a pesticide explains the assumptions used in assessing exposure as well as the uncertainties that are built into the dose-response assessment 26 RISK = TOXICITY x EXPOSURE Risk to human health from pesticide exposure depends on both the toxicity of the pesticide and the likelihood of people coming into contact with it When pesticides are used, there is some toxicity and exposure, which results in a potential risk 27 Environmental Protection Agency Responsible for establishing tolerances for pesticides FDA responsible for monitoring pesticide tolerances on raw agricultural products Before allowing the use of a pesticide on food crops, EPA sets a tolerance, or maximum residue limit, which is the amount of pesticide residue allowed to remain in or on each treated food commodity 28 Other Agencies FDA tests food produced in the United States and food imported from other countries for compliance with these residue limit State enforcement agencies also check foods produced in this country. USDA tests meat and milk US Customs Department notifies FDA of arrival of Food products 29 Organic Foods Foods grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides or pesticides derived from natural sources Consumers purchase organically grown and processed foods as a way to reduce their exposure to synthetic pesticides and fertilizers 30 Regulation of Organic Foods Over forty private organizations and state agencies (certifiers) currently certify organic foods Organic Foods Production Act passed in 1990, to assure consumers that "organic" food meets the same standards in every state 1997, USDA published a proposal for national organic standards 31 National Organics Program Beginning on October 21, 2002, producers and handlers must be certified by a USDAaccredited certifying agent to sell, label, or represent their products as "100 percent organic," "organic," or "made with organic USDA, accredited certifying agents, and approved State Organic Programs will be responsible for enforcement of the national regulations. 32 National Organics Program USDA Organic Seal may appear on organic agricultural products that are certified 100 percent organic or products that are certified as containing at least 95 percent organic ingredients. 33
