Pesticide residues in foods: is food safety just a matter of organic versus traditional farming?
To regulate the safety of foods, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set tolerance levels, or maximum legal limits for pesticide residues on food commodities for sale in the U.S. EPA tolerances are based on a very conservative set of assumptions including that each pesticide is applied at the maximum rate allowed by the label, the maximum number of applications are made, and only the minimum permissible interval is allowed between applications. Scientists find the safe daily intake level, "No Observable Effects Level (NOEL)," and build in a 100 fold or more margin of safety. This procedure sets a legal residue level. If the maximum possible exposure to a chemical is less than the legal residue level, the EPA grants a tolerance.