Pesticide Maximum Residue Limit (MRL): Background, Indian Scenario

Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) are often mistaken for toxicological safety limits. These are safe limits that define the maximum expected level of a pesticide on a food commodity after its safe and authorized use. The limits are food specific and serve as monitoring tools. They serve both to prevent illegal and/or excessive use of a pesticide and act as enforcement tool to ensure compliance with its registered label. However, the foods containing residues above the MRL are not inherently unsafe as long as any calculated acute reference dose has not been exceeded. MRLs are set at levels at least low enough to ensure that even high-level consumers will not consume more than the acceptable daily intake (ADI) if they eat large quantities of every food type containing the residues at the MRL for that food type. MRLs once fixed are not forever. Re-evaluation/resetting may be required based on availability of new toxicological/safety and monitoring data on pesticide residues. This paper provides an overview of the concept, the various factors taken into consideration while fixing these limits, the method of fixation and the status of MRLs on the pesticides registered for use in India.