Acute dietary intake assessment of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables

摘要

Acute dietary intake is one of the factors considered by Member States, the European Commission and international authorities when setting Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for pesticides. The MRL is the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue (expressed as mg/kg) that is legally permitted in or on a food or agricultural commodity or animal feedstuff. The measure of acute dietary exposure that is used in MRL-setting is the International Estimate of Short Term Intake (IESTI). The IESTI is calculatedusing one of four standard equations, depending on the type of commodity involved. An MRL above the limit of detection is set for a commodity only if its IESTI does not exceed the Acute Reference Dose (ARfD) of the pesticide concerned.