Establishment of 22 Pesticide MRLs in Agricultural Products based on Risk Assessment

BACKGROUND: Food Sanitary Act establishes Maxi- mum Residue Limits (MRLs) of pesticides in food that are newly registered and used per each quarter, as stipulated by Agro-chemical Control Act. Current Food Code contains the MRLs for a total of 418 pesticides in 184 food types. METHODS AND RESULTS: National MRLs for pes- ticides have been established by based on scientific data of good agricultural practice, acceptable daily intake (ADI), food intake, average body weight and others. MRLs for pesticides are generally set under the principle that theoretical maximum daily intake (TMDI) are always below ADI. As results, 27 MRLs in agricultural products were newly proposed for 22 pesticides (fungicide: azoxy- strobin, fludioxonil, fluquinconazole, flusilazole, iprova- licarb, kresoxim-methyl, mandipropamid, metconazole, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, triflumizole, etc., Insecti- cide: dinotefuran, flubendiamide, indoxacarb, cyhalothrin, spinetoram, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam, metaflumizone, etc., Acaricide(miticide): cyenopyrafen, lufenuron) in 2010. CONCLUSION(s): There is no intake concerns for establishment of pesticide MRLs on foods in this time. Because the ratio of theoretical maximum daily intake (TMDI) are set below that of ADI.