Abstract
Trade problems arise when different maximum residue levels (MRLs) are established for the same compound. This is often interpreted as a difference in the safety evaluation of the residues of the drug. These differences may also result from different agricultural or veterinary practices, different analytes in the monitoring program, or other factors unrelated to the safety assessment. Thus, an important question for deciding the acceptability of an MRL should be whether use of the MRL will result in residues above a country's established acceptable daily intake (ADI). The ADI, rather than the MRL, is the safety standard for the compound because is defined as the amount of residue that can be ingested daily over a consumer's lifetime without appreciable health risk. It is possible to predict whether there is a realistic possibility that uses of a particular MRL will result in a dietary intake that exceeds the ADI. MRLs should be considered “equivalent” for purposes of trade and consumer safety if use of the MRL does not result in residues above a country's ADI.