All foods/Fish, Catfish

2010 · United States · USDA Pesticide Data Program · Calendar year

Pesticide residues found on fish, catfish

86.7% of standard-grown samples had at least one detected residue. Standard-grown means samples not identified as organic (called conventional in the source data). Detection does not, by itself, mean the food was unsafe.

Compare with other foods →
Any residue86.7%Higher organic-buying priority

384 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue13.3%Higher organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues50.8%Moderate organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count2Higher organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 5

Above published limit0%Moderate organic-buying priority

Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance

Organic comparisonNot availableNot enough published data

Withheld: only 0 samples

Annual context

How monitored results changed

Each row is a separate targeted survey. Samples can differ by retailer, origin and season, so this is context rather than a trend claim.

YearStandard-grown samplesAny residueMultiple residuesOrganic samplesOrganic any residue
2010Calendar year38486.7%50.8%0Withheld
2009Calendar year54379.2%47%0Withheld
2008Calendar year55293.8%65%0Withheld

Residue detail

What was found on fish, catfish?

The most frequently detected residues across all 384 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

384samples checked

Detection does not establish harm. Health risk depends on both toxicity and the amount a person is exposed to.

What do these types mean?
  • FungicideControls fungal diseases such as moulds and mildews.
  • InsecticideControls insects that damage crops or stored food.
  • HerbicideControls weeds competing with a crop.
  • Growth regulatorChanges plant growth, development or ripening.
  • Other / mixedCovers multiple substances or a role that cannot be reliably assigned from the published name.

These labels describe agricultural function, not a toxicity ranking.

ResidueTypeSamplesMedianHigher resultTypical published limit
DDE p,p'Other / mixed253 (65.9%)0.009 mg/kg0.133 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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BifenthrinInsecticide130 (33.9%)0.003 mg/kg0.005 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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DDD p,p'Other / mixed104 (27.1%)0.009 mg/kg0.086 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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ChlorpyrifosOther / mixed37 (9.6%)0.003 mg/kg0.017 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Endosulfan sulfateOther / mixed30 (7.8%)0.002 mg/kg0.021 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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DiuronOther / mixed24 (6.2%)0.031 mg/kg0.17 mg/kg2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Diphenylamine (DPA)Other / mixed20 (5.2%)0.003 mg/kg0.004 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Pentachloroaniline (PCA)Other / mixed10 (2.6%)0.001 mg/kg0.003 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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BHC alphaOther / mixed9 (2.3%)0.002 mg/kg0.008 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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PendimethalinOther / mixed8 (2.1%)0.005 mg/kg0.074 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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CypermethrinOther / mixed6 (1.6%)0.003 mg/kg0.011 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Chlorpyrifos methylOther / mixed5 (1.3%)0.001 mg/kg0.003 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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DDE o,p'Other / mixed4 (1%)0.003 mg/kg0.003 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Esfenvalerate+Fenvalerate TotalOther / mixed4 (1%)0.004 mg/kg0.021 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Lindane (BHC gamma)Other / mixed4 (1%)0.003 mg/kg0.004 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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BHC deltaOther / mixed4 (1%)0.005 mg/kg0.007 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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AtrazineOther / mixed3 (0.8%)0.005 mg/kg0.006 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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OxadiazonOther / mixed3 (0.8%)0.003 mg/kg0.003 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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TrifluralinOther / mixed3 (0.8%)0.002 mg/kg0.003 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Cyhalothrin, Total (Cyhalothrin-L + R157836 epimer)Other / mixed2 (0.5%)0.002 mg/kg0.003 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗

“Higher result” is an approximate 95th-percentile observed concentration, not a safety threshold. Amounts of different pesticides should not be added together or compared directly. Functional types describe their usual agricultural role; they are not hazard or toxicity rankings.

ADI and ARfD are intake reference values, not limits for one food sample. A personal assessment would also require consumption, body-weight and wider exposure data. Source programmes report legal Maximum Residue Level results separately.

What this tells you

A monitoring result, not a verdict.

USDA PDP selects rotating commodities, with emphasis on foods important to consumer diets, including foods eaten by infants and children. It is not a test of every fish, catfish product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2010.

Comparable annual records are available for 2010, 2009, 2008.

Published MRLs or tolerances are regulatory limits associated with pesticide use. Consumer-risk assessment is a separate process.

Broader sample coverage. At least 50 samples: broader monitoring coverage, but still targeted rather than random.

Compare organic and standard-grown results →

Common questions

How to read these fish, catfish results

Were pesticide residues detected on fish, catfish?

86.7% of 384 standard-grown samples in the 2010 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean fish, catfish were unsafe?

No. A laboratory detection is not, by itself, a consumer-risk finding. Regulators assess dietary risk separately.

Should I buy organic fish, catfish?

There were only 0 organic samples, so Residue Lens withholds the comparison.