The European Union Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (Rasff) is a tool used for the exchange of information between food authorities. Through it, notices are issued after the detection of food contamination or other dangers in different products. The authorities act and remove the food when these are detected at different levels of the distribution chain.
The last alert that has to do with some fruits that were destined to end up in the Spanish market. According to Rasff, health authorities have detected the presence of chlorpyrifos in some oranges from Egypt, and that they were going to be distributed by different establishments in our country.
As noted in the alert published at the European level, the presence of this insecticide in the popular fruit was detected in an “official control on the market.” Thus, the Rasff has classified the risk as “serious” and has ordered to “inform the recipients” of the incident that could put health at risk of the population.
The results demonstrated a presence of chlorpyrifos in a proportion of 0.086 mg/kg-ppm, when its Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) is set at 0.01 mg/kg – ppm, the minimum detectable in the laboratory as it is a substance that is not authorized.
Since 2020, the European Commission has banned the use of both chlorpyrifos and methyl-chlorpyrifos as pesticides. The The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry states that chlorpyrifos is “an organophosphate insecticide widely used in homes and agriculture.” It was used to control cockroach infestations. or fleas, as well as in some dog repellent collars.
Symptoms of short-term, low-milligram exposure to chlorpyrifos include “dizziness, fatigue, runny nose, watery eyes, salivation, nausea, intestinal discomfort, sweating, and changes in heart rate.” However, at higher levels, the exposed person can suffer “paralysis, seizures, fainting and even death.”
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), as well as a study by the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) of Tarragona and the University of Almería, link exposure to chlorpyrifos with neurological disorders and cases of autism , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obesity, and impairment of intellectual capacity, learning, and addiction control. Also It is considered a permanent pollutantsince it persists in aquatic environments, passing into the food chain.
