Number: 1999-017-1-600 [ 6/3/99 ]
Title: Regulatory limits for pesticide residues in water
Task Group
Chairman: D. Hamilton
Members:
Remarks: Extension of Project
640/41/97 ; Proposed cooperative project with Commission on Soil
and Water (VI.3)
Completion Date: 2003 - project completed
Objective:
To examine the various methodologies for setting standards for permissible
levels of pesticide residues in waters and to recommend suitable methodologies
and data requirements.
Description:
Setting standards for pesticide residues in waters is complex.
First we must decide which type of water is relevant to the proposed
standard, e.g. drinking water, reservoir water, lakes and streams, ground
water, water for aquaculture, irrigation water and drinking water for
farm animals. Second, should we adopt a risk assessment based approach
or a "no more than reasonable if good practices are followed" approach,
or a combination of the two? Different approaches will lead to different
maximum limits being set. A standard based on a risk to human health
or the environment may allow much higher levels of residue in the water
than would ever occur in practice. An arbitrarily chosen maximum limit
may be economically wasteful in requiring correction of harmless residues
that do not meet the standard while ignoring more hazardous contaminants
that are technically not pesticides.
Progress:
Project completed - IUPAC Technical Report published in Pure
Appl. Chem.
75(8), 1123-1155, 2003.
Last Update: 9 September 2003
