Pesticide residues in food crops analyzed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 1989.

California spends more than $40 million each year for the nation's most comprehensive program to regulate pesticide use: Pesticides are evaluated before they can be used. Businesses that sell or apply pesticides are licensed. Pesticide specialists enforce restrictions on pesticide use. Water, air, and soil are monitored for pesticide levels. And, as a final check in this integrated network of program, domestic and imported produce is sampled and tested for traces of pesticide residue. Annually, approximately 1% of the samples violate established standards. Because the standards include a safety margin, illegal residues rarely present a health risk, according to leading scientific experts, including the World Health Organization.