Analysis of Multi-Pesticide Residues and Dietary Risk Assessment in Fresh Tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum) from Local Supermarkets of the Metropolitan Region, Chile

Pesticide residue and dietary intake risk of vegetables grown in Shanghai under modern urban agriculture in 2018-2021

Shanghai as an international metropolis is representative of modern urban agriculture in China, so it is of great significance to analyse the pesticide residue in vegetables grown in Shanghai. This study investigated the residue of 68 commonly used pesticides (divided into insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and plant growth regulators) in 7028 vegetable samples in Shanghai from 2018 to 2021, and estimated the dietary intake risk of these pesticides. These samples were divided into 6 categories. A total of 29.21% of vegetable samples had pesticide residues, and 0.47% of samples exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) set by the national food safety standard of China. Leafy vegetables had the highest detection rate of pesticide residues (32.9%), multiple detection rate (12.2%), pesticide residue concentration (35.7 mg/kg), and the number of samples exceeding the MRL (30). There were 36 out of 68 pesticides detected in vegetables, and the top 3 were dimethomorph, propamocarb and acetamiprid. The target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) of these noticeablepesticides were all less than 1, illustrating that there may be no obvious health hazard for residents exposed to the pesticide levels. This study can promote the green development of the pesticide industry and provide important reference data for the monitoring of pesticide residues and their hazards under modern urban agriculture.

Residues of Deltamethrin in Pine Needles and Pine Nuts of Catalonia (Spain)

In recent years, recurrent droughts have weakened stone pine (Pinus pinea) forests and facilitated the emergence of harmful pests and diseases, including the Leptoglossus occidentalis. The production of stone pine nuts has declined over the past five years. To control this hemipteran pest, a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide called deltamethrin is being tested. However, it is necessary to estimate the residue left by these treatments in forest stands. Therefore, a fast and robust analytical procedure was developed based on QuEChERS clean-up extraction, followed by gas chromatography coupled with an electron capture detector. This optimized method can detect residual concentrations of deltamethrin in pine nuts and pine needles up to 0.1 and 6 μg kg-1, respectively, with a limit of quantification of 0.4 and 20 μg kg-1. Great recoveries (between 84 and 102%) were obtained for both matrices, and no matrix effect was observed. The results showed that two weeks after spraying, the deltamethrin content in the needles of stone pines decreased by up to 75%, and after nine months, its presence was like that of nontreated trees.

Simultaneous determination of residues of multiple pesticides and their metabolites in citrus and orange juice from markets in China: residue levels and dietary risk assessment

Consumers are becoming more concerned about pesticide residues in food. Since citrus represent a significant portion of the diet, it is appropriate to monitor the pesticide residues in citrus. In this paper, we modified a QuEChERS method combined with HPLC-MS/MS to investigate residue levels of 15 pesticides and 3 metabolites in citrus (whole fruit and pulp) and orange juice from the markets in China. And the dietary exposure risks were evaluated by using the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) methods based on deterministic and probabilistic models. The recoveries of the modified method ranged from 70 to 112% at three spike levels of 0.005-0.5 mg/kg with relative standard deviations of 1.0-18.1%. Pesticide residues were detected in 85.84% of the whole citrus and 40.00% of pulp, with concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 0.47 mg/kg, which did not exceed their maximum residue limits (MRLs) in China. The HQ (0.01-11.41%) and HI (0.07-16.2%) were both less than 100%, demonstrating that chronic, acute, and cumulative dietary risks were acceptable. Notably, the risk for children (1-6 years old, 1.96-16.2%) was higher than that for the general population (0.76-6.25%). The results of our study can provide a valuable reference for regular monitoring to protect public health and ensure pesticide management.

Difenoconazole Exposure Induces Retinoic Acid Signaling Dysregulation and Testicular Injury in Mice Testes

Difenoconazole (DFZ) is a broad-spectrum triazole fungicide that is widely utilized in agriculture. Although DFZ has been demonstrated to induce reproductive toxicity in aquatic species, its toxic effects on the mammalian reproductive system have yet to be fully elucidated. In vivo, male mice were administered 0, 20 or 40 mg/kg/d of DFZ via oral gavage for 35 days. Consequently, DFZ significantly decreased testicular organ coefficient, sperm count and testosterone levels, augmented sperm malformation rates, and elicited histopathological alterations in testes. TUNEL assay showed increased apoptosis in testis. Western blotting results suggested abnormally high expression of the sperm meiosis-associated proteins STRA8 and SCP3. The concentrations of retinoic acid (RA), retinaldehyde (RE), and retinol (ROL) were increased in the testicular tissues of DFZ-treated groups. The mRNA expression level of genes implicated in RA synthesis significantly increased while genes involved in RA catabolism significantly decreased. In vitro, DFZ reduced cell viability and increased RA, RE, and ROL levels in GC-2 cells. Transcriptome analysis revealed a significant enrichment of numerous terms associated with the RA pathway and apoptosis. The qPCR experiment verified the transcriptome results. In conclusion, our results indicate that DFZ exposure can disrupt RA signaling pathway homeostasis, and induce testicular injury in mice testes.

Clinical Assessment of Acute Organophosphorus Pesticide Poisoning in Pediatric Patients Admitted to the Toxicology Emergency Department

Pesticide poisoning in pediatric patients is still an important reason for presenting to the emergency department in Romania. In this context, the present study aims to raise awareness of the toxicological impact of pesticides on human health in pediatrics. For this purpose, the demographic characteristics, clinical assessment, and outcome of pediatric patients with acute pesticide poisoning admitted to the toxicology department of "Saint Mary" Emergency Children's Hospital from Iasi, were analyzed. This retrospective study focused on the clinical and laboratory data of patients aged under 18 years diagnosed with acute pesticide poisoning between 2010-2020. The statistical analysis was performed using the Statistica 10 package. A total of 49 patients presented with manifestations of acute pesticide poisoning, and the most common pesticide involved was diazinon. The most frequent exposure route was accidentally ingesting pesticide products (95%). The primary clinical manifestations were toxic encephalopathy, coma, depressive disorder, gastric disorders, and respiratory failure. Changes in the glycemic status, liver, and kidney damage were also present. Treatment included decontamination, administration of antidote, supportive care, and recommendations to be closely monitored to avoid a new incident. These results highlight the toxic potential of pesticides on human health and their biological consequences, which require an increase in consciousness of the precautions imposed on their use, especially when children are nearby.

Investigation and probabilistic health risk assessment of pesticide residues in cucumber, tomato, and okra fruits from Khuzestan, Iran

In this study, 30 pesticide residues in 45 fresh-eating cucumber, tomato, and okra fruit samples collected from the Khuzestan province as the main agricultural products in Iran using the QuEChERS extraction method were analyzed. In addition, noncarcinogen and carcinogen health risk assessments were evaluated. Results indicated that 93% of cucumber samples had at least one pesticide, of course, less than the maximum residue limit (MRL). All tomato and okra fruit samples were contaminated by diazinon. All pesticides detected in tomato samples were below national MRL except for thiamethoxam in four samples. In okra fruit samples, all detected diazinon and malathion, but only tebuconazole fungicide exceeded MRL. In addition, the hazard index (HI) was 0.23 and 1.06 in cucumber samples, 0.33 and 1.51 in tomato samples, and 5.5E-03 and 0.025 in okra fruit samples in adults and children, respectively. The use of cucumber and tomato may have notable risks in the short term in children group age. Ranking based on total CR was 1.2E-05 in tomato, 7.7E-06 for cucumber, and in okra 9.1E-11 because of the difenoconazole residue. However, significant carcinogenic risk threatens cucumber and tomato consumers.

Impact of Pesticides on Human Health in the Last Six Years in Brazil

Every year, Brazil intensifies its activity in agriculture and, as a result, it has become one of the biggest consumers of pesticides in the world. The high rate of these substances raises environmental and human health concerns. Therefore, we collected papers from PubMed, Scopus, Scielo, and Web of Science databases, from 2015 to 2021. After a blind selection using the software Rayyan QCRI by two authors, 51 studies were included. Researchers from the South and the Southeast Brazilian regions contributed to most publications, from areas that concentrate agricultural commodity complexes. Among the pesticides described in the studies, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides were the most frequent. The articles reported multiple toxic effects, particularly in rural workers. The results obtained can be used to direct policies to reduce the use of pesticides, and to protect the health of the population.