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Recent
Pesticide News
According to the
Federal Register released September 14th, the
revocation date for Endosulfan in
most fruits, nuts and
vegetables will be July 2012. The revocation date
for cattle, hog, goat and sheep will be July
2016.
Endosulfan
currently has a zero tolerance in poultry and
poultry by-products.
or
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78th NRA Annual
Convention
From
October 18-21 2011, the National Renderers
Association's 78th Annual Convention will be held
at The Ritz-Carlton in Tucson, Arizona.
Diversified Laboratories is honored to be a
sponsor of the NRA! Be on the lookout for
Diversified Laboratories' Table Top Exhibit, we
look forward to seeing many of our customers next
week! |
Contact
Us
Peter
Kendrick
CEO
703-222-8700
Lee
Davis
VP Marketing
864-653-4194
Melissa
Standard
Director
Marketing
703-222-8700 | | |
|
"The
only independent laboratory in
the United States ISO 17025 Certified and USDA
Accredited
for both
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons (CHC) and
PCBs"
Fall
2011
Newsletter |
|
Chemical
Contaminants: Preparing for the
Unexpected
In
the context of foods, chemical contaminants can be
broadly defined as any chemical not intentionally
added to food but present from many potential
sources, including the following:
- Environmental
Contaminants:
Very stable chemicals that do not break down
easily, enabling
them to enter the food chain if
released into the environment.
- Food
Processing-induced Contamination:
These chemicals are the result of a food
additive interacting with other compounds in the
food matrix.
- Presence
of Natural Toxins:
Mycotoxins are produced by mold contaminants of
commodities such as cereals, nuts, dried
fruit, and milk.
- Accidental
Contamination at a "point
source":
Occurs during the production, preparation and
packaging of foods.
- Intentional
Contamination: Adulterants
may be used to sell lower-value products as the
original products.
For
a company to protect itself from this list of
chemicals, first it is vital to work with
dependable suppliers. Prevention programs, such as
chemical testing, are crucial.
When selecting a
laboratory, a company should question whether it
has ever analyzed samples of the particular food
or contaminant. Of
course, if the laboratory is accredited for the
particular analysis, then the procedure will be
easier.
"ISO/IEC
17025 accreditation specifically addresses a
laboratory's ability to produce precise and
accurate analytical results.
Accreditation processes have specific criteria to
determine not only the laboratory's competence in
a particular analysis but also the overall
management and quality control processes that
include: the technical competency of personnel,
validity and appropriateness of the methods, the
traceability of measurements to national
standards, the suitability, calibration and
maintenance of equipment, the appropriateness of
the testing environment and the adequacy of
quality assurance and quality control
procedures."
.
For more
information
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Nations Agree to
Disclose Risks of More
Pesticides
U.N
officials with the 2004 Rotterdam Convention
announced that 141 nations have agreed to disclose
more information about the risks of using the
three pesticides -alachlor, aldicarb and
endosulfan. These pesticides have been added to a
list of 40 chemicals considered to be hazardous.
The Rotterdam Convention intends to improve
information that is exchanged during international
trade about chemicals that have been banned or
restricted.
A
proposal to add a fourth chemical, chrysotile
asbestos, was not added to the list due to
opposition from Canada, Ukraine and several other
nations. Chrysotile asbestos is a naturally
occurring fibrous silicate mineral that is a known
carcinogen.
For more
information |
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EPA Announces
Schedule for Dioxin Assessment
The
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced
August 29th its plans to complete the non-cancer
portion of the EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues
Related to Dioxin Toxicity and Response to
National Academy of Science
(NAS.)Comments and post the final
non-cancer assessment to the Integrated Risk
Information System by the end of January
2012.
The
Science Advisory Board's
(SAB) report indicates
that the EPA selected the most appropriate
scientific studies to support the non-cancer
health assessment and the oral reference dose
derived in the draft assessment. The SAB
acknowledged that the process the agency used to
identify, review and evaluate the scientific
literature was both comprehensive and rigorous,
and the SAB report noted that "the criteria for
study selection have been clearly articulated,
well justified, and applied in a scientifically
sound manner."
Dioxins
are toxic chemicals that share a similar chemical
structure and act through a similar mechanism.
While dioxin levels in the environment have been
declining since the early seventies, dioxins
remain a concern because they will continue to
enter the food chain through releases from soils
and sediments, and they have been the subject of a
number of federal and state regulations and
cleanup actions.
For more
information |
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Effects of Organophosphate
Pesticides on Mental Disorders in Young
Children
In our
May, 2011 newsletter, we reported on a study that
showed a link between organophosphate pesticide
exposure and low IQ in young children.
Children exposed prenatally to
organophosphate pesticides used on food crops
score as much as seven points lower on
standardized intelligence tests by the time they
reach 7 years of age.
Another
study conducted by researchers at Harvard
University and the University of Montreal examined
the association between urinary concentrations of
organic phosphate metabolites and
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) in children 8 to 15 years of age.
Cross-sectional
data from the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey (2000-2004) were available for
1139 children, who were representative of the
general US population. A structured interview with
a parent was used to ascertain ADHD diagnostic
status, on the basis of slightly modified criteria
from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition.
One
hundred nineteen children met the diagnostic
criteria for ADHD. Children with higher urinary
dialkyl phosphate concentrations, especially
dimethyl alkylphosphate (DMAP) concentrations,
were more likely to be diagnosed as having
ADHD.
The
researchers concluded their findings support the
hypothesis that organophosphate exposure, at
levels common among US children, may contribute to
ADHD prevalence. Prospective studies are needed to
establish whether this association is causal.
For more
information
For more
information |
|
Americans Favor
Increased Funding for Stronger Food Safety
Among
likely voters surveyed across the nation, 66
percent support additional funding for the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry out
new responsibilities related to food safety,
according to a Pew-commissioned poll released
May 19th by the
bipartisan team of Hart Research and American
Viewpoint.
In
addition, 74 percent feel it is worth a 1-3%
increase in the cost of food to pay for new safety
measures in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act,
which became law this year. Further, 70 percent of
those surveyed favor food companies paying an
average annual fee of $1,000 to help cover the
cost of new FDA food safety activities.
Erik
Olson, who directs food programs for the Pew
Health Group states, "This poll reflects a
strong belief that Americans are willing to pay
more to ensure that the FDA is protecting the
safety of the food they put on their family's
dinner table."
For more
information | | |
