Pesticide residues in products of plant origin in the European Union

The results of a co-ordinated monitoring programme for pesticide residues in the European Union and Norway carried out in 1996 and 1997 are presented. The aim of this programme is to work towards a system, which makes it possible to estimate actual dietary pesticide intake for the population of the European Union. Based on a statistically dérived sampling plan and within the limited number of pesticides/commodities analysed, the most critical pesticides (benomyl group and dithiocarbamates) and commodities (mandarine and lettuce) were identified. In case of detected non-compliances, repeated sampling and, if necessary, enforcement actions are to be taken by national authorities. The programme will be continued in the next years.     

Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster needles as passive samplers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analysed in pine needles of different ages (from 6 to 30 months) collected from two species, Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster, in seven sites located along a transect from a suburban to a rural area of Genoa (Italy). In all sites and for both species, concentrations of more volatile PAHs (phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene) were higher than those for other less volatile PAHs, which are preferentially sorbed to airborne particulates (benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzofluoranthenes, benzo[a]pyrene). Concentrations of total PAHs found in P. nigra in the rural sites were, on the average, 2.3 times higher than those in P. pinaster growing nearby. In both pine species, concentrations of volatile PAHs increased according to needle age. Annual trends of other PAHs were more variable, with a general decrease in older needles. P. pinaster needles are shown to be more reliable passive samplers, since they are more resistant to plant diseases, and considerable variation in PAH concentration was observed in P. nigra needles with moulds and fungi.