One in a Million! Really, How Much Is That?

By Frank J. Dainello, Editor

ITH THE INCREASING LEVEL of sophistication of detection devices available today, substances can now be found that were not detectable just a few years ago. Consequently, undue alarm is often generated by reports that a 5 to 10 ppm (parts per million) of some pesticide residue was found in a given produce item. In most cases, these levels are so small that they cannot constitute a health risk.

The following, taken from a newsletter of the Associated New York Food Processors, may help to visualize just what is meant by these values.

One in a Million!

Think of one part per million as 1 inch in 16 miles; 1 minute in 2 years; 1 cent in $10,000; 1 once of salt in 31 tons of potato chips; 1 bad apple in 2,000 barrels.

One part per billion compares with 1 inch in 16,000 miles; 1 second in 32 years; 1 cent in $10 million; 1 pinch of salt in 10 tons of potato chips; 1 lob in 1,200,000 tennis matches; 1 bad apple in 1 million barrels.

One part per trillion compares with 1 postage stamp in an area the size of Dallas; 1 inch in 16 million miles (more than 600 times around the earth); 1 second in 320 centuries; 1 flea on 360 million elephants; 1 grain of sugar in an Olympic-sized pool; 1 bad apple in 2 billion barrels.

It is not uncommon today to find a report detecting ppb (parts per billion) of something in a produce item. Considering that there are 1,000 million in a billion. I personally find it hard to show much concern over foreign residues of the magnitude of 5 to 10 ppb!