Chemical residues in food of animal origin

Abstract

The presence of chemical residues in food of animal origin has been of great concern worldwide. The chemicals of interest include pesticides, drugs, growth hormones and environmental contaminants which accidentally find their way into the food chain. Because these residues are in extremely low concentrations, it is not possible to state with a high degree of certainty their toxicological significance. Nevertheless, they must be considered undesirable. The publication of a book, Silent Springs, by Rachel Carson in 1962 marked an important watershed and created public awareness regarding the deleterious effects of pesticide residues. Initially dismissed as a “hysterical woman”, she is now considered one of the most influential writers of all time. In her book, she described a future time in which birds, non-target insects (honeybees), earthworms, etc would have been eliminated by pesticide residues leading to a “biological desert” devoid of bird songs. Most of her comments were directed at DDT residues.