Residue Reviews

Abstract

PrefaceThat residues of pesticide and other "foreign" chemicals in foodstuffs are of concern to everyone everywhere is amply attested by the reception accorded previous volumes of "Residue Reviews" and by the gratifying enthusiasm, sincerity, and efforts shown by all the individuals from whom manuscripts have been solicited. Despite much propaganda to the contrary, there can never be any serious question that pest-control chemicals and foodadditive chemicals are essential to adequate food production, manufacture, marketing, and storage, yet without continuing surveillance and intelligent control some of those that persist in our foodstuffs could at times conceivably endanger the public health. Ensuring safety-in-use of these many chemicals is a dynamic challenge, for established ones are continually being displaced by newly developed ones more acceptable to food technologists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and changing pest-control requirements in progressive food-producing economies.These matters are also of genuine concern to increasing numbers of governmental agencies and legislative bodies around the world, for some of these chemicals have resulted in a few mishaps from improper use. Adequate safety-in-use evaluations of any of these chemicals persisting into our foodstuffs are not simple matters, and they incorporate the considered judgments of many individuals highly trained in a variety of complex biological, chemical, food technological, medical, pharmacological, and toxicological disciplines.It is hoped that "Residue Reviews" will continue to serve as an integrating factor both in focusing attention upon those many residue matters requiring further attention and in collating for variously trained readers present knowledge in specific important areas of residue and related endeavors; no other single publication attempts to serve these broad purposes. The contents of this and previous volumes of "Residue Reviews" illustrate these objectives. Since manuscripts are published in the order in which they are received in final form, it may seem that some important aspects of residue analytical chemistry, biochemistry, human and animal medicine, legislation, pharmacology, physiology, regulation, and toxicology are being neglected; to the contrary, these apparent omissions are recognized, and some pertinent manuscripts are in preparation. However, the field is so large and the interests in it are so varied that the editor and the Advisory Board earnestly solicit suggestions of topics and authors to help make this international book-series even more useful and informative. VI Preface "Residue Reviews" attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy, and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of residues of these chemicals in foods, in feeds, and in transformed food products. These reviews are either general or specific, but properly they may lie in the domains of analytical chemistry and its methodology, biochemistry, human and animal medicine, legisla...