Got chemical and pesticide residues in your milk?

Conventional milk contains toxics, says the USDA

Posted by Tom Philpott at 10:35 AM on 13 Mar 2008

Read more about: organic food | food | agriculture | health | toxics

The Organic Center acts as a kind of shadow USDA, digesting the latest peer-reviewed research on organic food, translating it into English, and issuing summary reports.

Consumers won't want to miss the center's newest one on pesticide residues [PDF]. It contains one of those handy guides on which conventional fruits and veggies convey the most toxic traces to eaters (here's a handy two-pager [PDF] for the fridge), as well as a blunt and important discussion of the plant- and mineral-based pesticides allowed in organic production.

But what really caught my eye was the bit about milk -- and how it brims with industrial-chemical and pesticide residues.

The Organic Center points us to 2004 testing of 739 samples of conventional milk, performed by the USDA's Pesticide Data Program. Here's what they found.

Ninety-six percent of samples contained DDE, "a breakdown product of DDT, which was banned from agricultural use in the early 1970s. DDT is very persistent and remains to this day in many cropland soils; its soil half-life (time required for 50 percent to dissipate) is generally between 15 and 30 years, depending on soil and climatic properties."
Nearly 99 percent contained diphenylamine (DPA), a "'high volume' industrial chemical used for many purposes in manufacturing rubber and plastic parts, and in making certain drugs."
Forty-one percent of samples contained dieldrin, a "long-banned" organochlorine pesticide.
Endosulfan sulfate, an endocrine disrupter, turned up in 18 percent of samples.
About a quarter of samples delivered synthetic pyrethroid insecticides.
Nearly 9 percent of samples contained a lovely-sounding chemical called 3-hydroxycarbofuran, a "highly-toxic breakdown product of the carbamate insecticide."

The USDA didn't comprehensively test conventional against organic milk. However, 10 of the 739 samples were labeled organic -- and "just like virtually all samples, all 10 samples contained DPA and nine had DDE residues," the Organic Center reports.

Clearly, that bit needs more study -- 10 samples can tell us little. I'd like to see studies that differentiate between varieties of organic ag -- pasture-based systems and the confined style favored by mega-organic dairies like Aurora and Horizon.

But the presence of all of this industrial crap in our milk supply is surely alarming. As the Organic Center states:

The fact that over one-quarter of the conventional milk samples tested in 2004 contained endosulfan or a carbofuran metabolite is deeply worrisome, given that these chemicals are among the pesticides found in numerous toxicological studies to pose serious developmental risks during pregnancy and to infants and children as their bodies grow and mature.

I like how all of this information has been sitting around since 2004, not going much of anywhere even as the USDA pushes milk as a healthy dietary staple, even -- if not especially -- for pregnant women and children, the very folks most vulnerable to pesticides.

For story: Got chemical and pesticide residues in your milk?
7 Comments | Post a Comment

Toxics in milk

Thanks for this post, Tom. Unfortunately, organic milk is saddled with some of the same problems as conventional milk, because pollutants like DDE bioaccumulate up the food chain and concentrate in animal products, like meat & milk -- including our wonderful human breast milk. We've got to quit putting this junk into the environment in the first place!

by Fawn Pattison at 10:44 AM on 13 Mar 2008

Regional variations

I'd like to see studies that differentiate between varieties of organic ag -- pasture-based systems and the confined style favored by mega-organic dairies like Aurora and Horizon.

As long as we're dreaming, I'd also like to see testing that differentiates based on where the milk was produced. I suspect that it will be very different in different parts of the country, where the land has a history of more or less exposure to chemicals.

Of course, I doubt either of these tests will be done, at least not by the USDA. Both are likely to show the big-organic producers in a bad light compared to their smaller brethren, and that's not something the USDA is generally interested in doing.

by GreenEngineer at 10:56 AM on 13 Mar 2008

the nature of residue

I didn't see anything specific on the nature of the residue, mainly, is it homogeneously distributed, or it is limited to (say) just the skin?
It seems that fruits with skins that are commonly not eaten have low(er) amounts of residue, which leads me to believe that if an apple skin is discarded (or perhaps vigorously washed) it may have a lower dietary risk index.
Does anyone know?

by jmh31 at 11:26 AM on 13 Mar 2008

Concentration matters

The fact that something is 'present' isn't very meaningful, given that this could just mean a few parts per billion.

To make a sensible choice, people need data about the level of contaminants present, as well as the levels known to be harmful for normal people and members of vulnerable groups.

a sibilant intake of breath

by sindark at 11:28 AM on 13 Mar 2008

re: Concentration matters

You make a good point Sindark, but in this case when you're talking about residues of DDE and dieldrin, for example, no level is okay. Every exposure bioaccumulates in our tissue, so one very low exposure piles on top of another in our bodies. We can even pass these exposures on to our children when they concentrate in breastmilk.

by Fawn Pattison at 11:40 AM on 13 Mar 2008
[ Parent ]

A serious problem: America is addicted to cheese.

Here's an option: quit eating dairy.

Lactose intolerance is a problem for 1 in 5 adult Americans. Yet, dairy is a ubiquitous part of our food and culture. I get more blank stares when I request "no dairy" than my vegetarian girlfriend does when she asks for no meat. Yes, it makes cutting dairy out of your diet (especially cheese), difficult. I have several friends who admit to having some level of intolerance to dairy, but still eat it anyway, probably because it's so hard to avoid. Most of my other friends and some family members, no matter how often I explain it, can't seem to comprehend why I, in fact, don't want to go get dinner at a pizza joint.

Perhaps if the public's awareness about industrial dairy production was comparable to that of industrial meat, we'd be more conscious of how much we actually consume on a daily basis.

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by Corey McKrill at 12:16 PM on 13 Mar 2008

Thank you Tom Phillpot...

... for bringing this report to our attention.

And, of course, thank you Organic Center for producing a balanced and unbiased assessment of pesticides in/on our food. I was very impressed by the examination of chemicals acceptable for organic agriculture and the potential hazards of those chemicals.

I've been searching for a list of chemicals acceptable for organic agriculturefor some time and now I finally have it. I was starting to wonder whether the industry preferred to keep a lid on their dark secret.

I look forward to more discussion of ALL the chemicals applied to our food, the hazards for human and other animals, and an exploration of exactly where all of those chemicals, synthetic and natural, come from.

I think it is time to demand elimination of ALL pesticides from agriculture. They are designed or extracted to kill insects. It is no surprise that even natural pesticides inflict collateral damage by harming insects like bees.

by wiscidea at 5:36 AM on 14 Mar 2008

ADVERTISING POLICY

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