Techical Reviews

Pesticide Data on the Web

Pesticide residues in food

The Pesticide Data Program, run by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service since 1991, buys food from grocery stores, prepares it as consumers would, and then analyzes the food for more than 160 different pesticides. Results are published and posted on the Web at www.ams.usda.gov/science/pdp/

Pesticide residues in the environment

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has the job of regulating and monitoring pesticide use in California, and has produced many high quality studies and reports over the years. Now many reports are available for download on the Web, including the 1999 updates to “Sampling for Pesticide Residues in California Well Water–1997 Update of the Well Inventory Database” at www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/empm/pubs/ehapreps.html

Quantity of pesticides used in agriculture

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation oversees California’s Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) database. The complete database from 1990 to present can be ordered on CD-ROM. Summary data reports can be found at www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pur/purmain.html and www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PUSE/puse1.html (See “Sources of Pesticide Use Data in California,” Sustainable Agriculture 11(2):10-12.)

Contributed by Max Stevenson