2012 · United States · USDA Pesticide Data Program · Calendar year

Pesticide residues found on papaya

17.8% 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.

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Any residue17.8%Lower organic-buying priority

365 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue82.2%Lower organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues0.8%Lower organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count0Lower organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 3

Above published limit0%Moderate organic-buying priority

Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance

Organic comparisonNot availableNot enough published data

Withheld: only 1 sample

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.

Year	Standard-grown samples	Any residue	Multiple residues	Organic samples	Organic any residue
2012 ↗Calendar year	365	17.8%	0.8%	1	Withheld
2011 ↗Calendar year	382	20.9%	3.1%	2	Withheld

Residue detail

What was found on papaya?

The most frequently detected residues across all 366 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

366samples 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.

Residue	Type	Samples	Median	Higher result	Typical published limit
Boscalid	Fungicide	29 (7.9%)	0.025 mg/kg	0.048 mg/kg	1.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Thiabendazole	Fungicide	16 (4.4%)	0.165 mg/kg	0.4 mg/kg	5 mg/kg
Reviewed evidence What regulators assessed: The long-term guidance value was based on body-weight suppression and nephrosis observed in an animal study at higher doses. Reference values Role Fungicide and veterinary anthelmintic Long-term reference (ADI) 0–0.1 mg/kg body weight per day Single-day reference (ARfD) 1 mg/kg body weight (general population); 0.3 mg/kg for women of child-bearing age Reviewed from WHO/FAO JMPR, 2019 ↗
Azoxystrobin	Fungicide	14 (3.8%)	0.004 mg/kg	0.007 mg/kg	2 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Thiamethoxam	Other / mixed	5 (1.4%)	0.036 mg/kg	0.066 mg/kg	0.4 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Pyraclostrobin	Fungicide	2 (0.5%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.002 mg/kg	0.6 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Difenoconazole	Fungicide	2 (0.5%)	0.003 mg/kg	0.003 mg/kg	0.3 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Imidacloprid	Insecticide	1 (0.3%)	0.073 mg/kg	0.073 mg/kg	1 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 papaya product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2012.

Comparable annual records are available for 2012, 2011.

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 papaya results

Were pesticide residues detected on papaya?

17.8% of 365 standard-grown samples in the 2012 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean papaya were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic papaya?

There were only 1 organic samples, so Residue Lens withholds the comparison.