Pesticide residues in foodstuffs in England and Wales. Part I: Inorganic bromide ion in lettuce grown in soil fumigated with bromomethane

Surveys of lettuce, produced commercially in England and Wales, were carried out during the years 1977–82 to determine residues of inorganic bromide ion, following soil sterilisation with bromomethane. Lettuce grown on unfumigated soil contained less than 10 mg bromide ion kg−1, while most lettuce grown on bromomethane‐fumigated soil were found to contain higher levels of bromide ion, with a proportion in excess of 1000 mg kg−1. The accumulation of bromide ion appeared to be related to the interval between soil fumigation and planting, and also to the frequency of bromomethane application to the soil. A limited amount of data is presented on the levels of bromide ion in imported lettuce.