Communicating Low Impact of Trace Pesticides in Food Trips Up EPA

The EPA says it needs to do more to tell people that small amounts of pesticides in food don’t pose significant health risks.

Speaking at a meeting of state departments of agriculture on March, 4, Alexandra Dunn, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said the agency needs to be more responsive to public concerns about pesticide exposure, particularly trace amounts sometimes found in food and beverages.

“People are concerned,” said Dunn. “They want to know what it means if trace amounts of pesticides are being detected in their food, wine, or ...