RESPONSE

Delaney Still the Best Protection The December 1995 artide on pesticides in food (EHP 103:1082) misstates the basic issues around the Delaney Clause and misses the point. While this federal regulation has its limitations, such as it does not address all food types such as raw fruits and vegetables (and these limitations should be corrected), contrary to what the article says, Delaney offers the best possible protection of public health, induding children who are more susceptible and vulnerable, because it says that no amount of a carcinogen in food is acceptable. There can be no better protection than not allowing any carcinogen in food regardless of who eats it. All the alternatives to Delaney incorporate some form of risk assessment which will attempt to define some level of "acceptable risk." These are the approaches that will suffer many of the problems described in the report, not Delaney. Delaney needs fixing to expand its reach. It should not be replaced by risk assessment approaches that will be more subjective, more vulnerable to assumptions and uncertainties, and ultimately less protective of public health not only for children, but for everyone.