דו״ח מאומת

The evolution of global agriculture encourages the extensive use of pesticides although significant concerns regarding their impact on human health and the environment must be considered. The present paper highlights the presence and concentrations of various pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables available on Romanian markets. A total of 74 pesticide compounds authorized for agricultural use were identified and quantified in 620 randomly selected samples spanning a wide range of horticultural products by employing the QuEChERS extraction method and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The most often detected pesticides comprised boscalid and azoxystrobin, present in 42% and 37% of apple and strawberry samples, respectively, with mean concentrations of 0.12 mg/kg and 0.09 mg/kg. In cucumbers and tomatoes, difenoconazole and acetamiprid were predominant, detected in 35% and 40% of samples, with average residue amounts of 0.08 mg/kg and 0.07 mg/kg, respectively. Statistical analysis, achieved with Python 3.13.2, the pandas library (alongside descriptive statistics), and ANOVA, revealed significant variations in residue levels based on the product type and geographic origin. Boscalid and azoxystrobin were commonly encountered in apples and strawberries while difenoconazole and acetamiprid predominated in cucumbers and tomatoes. Even though the majority of pesticide residues conformed to EU maximum residue limits (MRLs), about 6% of samples, generally from imported products, displayed some residue concentrations approaching critical thresholds, with the highest exceedance observed for chlorpyrifos and lambda-cyhalothrin at concentrations of up to 0.25 mg/kg. This research provides a comprehensive overview of pesticide residues prevalence in Romania's fresh product supply while, at the same time, supporting consumer awareness initiatives and evidencing the critical demand for continuous monitoring and strengthened regulatory frameworks for food safety.…

PMID: 40700151

The misuse and overuse of pesticides can lead to crop contamination and accumulating pesticide residues in the food chain, raising serious public health concerns. This study assessed penconazole residue levels in grape samples from Gonabad's vineyards and evaluated the associated human health risks. In 2022, grape samples were collected from 13 vineyards and analyzed. Penconazole levels in unwashed, water-washed, and disinfected grape samples were 0.256 (0.154-0.391) mg/kg, 0.195 (0.094-0.335) mg/kg, and 0.051 (0.027-0.089) mg/kg, respectively. Although penconazole was detected in all samples, its concentration remained below the EU's Maximum Residue Level (MRL) of 0.4 mg/kg. Washing and disinfection reduced penconazole residues by 23.8% and 80%, respectively, with the highest residues observed in unwashed grapes. The hazard quotient (HQ) values for unwashed, washed, and disinfected samples were below 1, indicating negligible non-cancer health risks for teenagers and adults consuming these grapes. These findings suggest that grape consumption poses minimal health risks related to penconazole residues. This study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of washing and disinfection in reducing pesticide residues and highlights the importance of monitoring pesticide levels to ensure food safety.…

PMID: 41309861

Consumers are confronted with conflicting information regarding the safety of specific foods. For example, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes an annual consumer guide in which they rank the pesticide contamination of 46 popular fruits and vegetables, which includes designating the 12 with the greatest pesticide contamination as the "Dirty Dozen," to help consumers reduce exposures to toxic pesticides. However, consumer guides like EWG's only incorporate some hazard assessment principles and do not reflect a dietary risk assessment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to apply risk assessment techniques to EWG's Dirty Dozen list using a uniform screening-level approach to estimate pesticide exposures for U.S. consumers and to characterize the associated chronic human health risks. The most commonly detected pesticide and its representative residue concentrations were identified for each produce type on the 2022 Dirty Dozen list using the USDA Pesticide Data Program database. Estimates of mean dietary consumption in the U.S. were used to calculate dietary exposure to each pesticide-produce combination for adults and children. Pesticide-specific U.S. EPA dietary health-based guidance values (HBGVs) were then used as benchmarks to evaluate the chronic human health risk of consuming each produce type. Overall, the estimated daily exposure for each pesticide-produce combination was below the corresponding HBGV for all exposure scenarios. The current analysis demonstrates that excessive produce-specific pesticide exposure is unexpected as the amount of produce that would need to be consumed on a chronic basis, even among children, far exceeds typical dietary intake. Future research is necessary to assess acute dietary exposure scenarios and to consider cumulative risk.…

PMID: 38626048

Pesticides have contributed to dramatic increases in crop yields and in the quantity and variety of the diet. Also, they have helped to limit the spread of certain diseases. But pesticides have harmful effects; they can cause injury to human health as well as to the environment. The range of these adverse health effects includes acute and persistent injury to the nervous system, lung damage, injury to the reproductive organs, dysfunction of the immune and endocrine systems, birth defects, and cancer. Problems associated with pesticide hazards to man and the environment are not confined to the developing countries. Developed nations have already suffered these problems, and still facing some problems in certain locations. For many reasons, the severity of pesticide hazards is much pronounced in Third World Countries. A number of long persistent organochlorines and highly toxic organophosphates, which have been banned or severely restricted, are still marketed and used in many developing countries. The misuse of pesticides by concerned individuals, in addition to lack of or weak national controlling plans are behind the outbreak of adverse effects in developing countries. Since about 25 years, the use of DDT and many other organochlorine pesticides in Egyptian agriculture has been banned. However, these long persistent compounds are still detectable in many different types of environmental samples (e.g., water, fish, sediment, vegetables, fruits, milk, foodstuffs, etc.). Large number of compounds known as "extremely hazardous", "highly hazardous", "probable human carcinogenic", and "possible human carcinogenic", are listed among the pesticides registered and recommended for use in Egypt during the season of 2001/2002. The present article deals with: trends and patterns of pesticide use, impact of pesticides on human health, factors contributing to pesticide risks, environmental impacts of pesticides, and bioaccumulation of pesticide residues in food; giving special concern to the situation in Egypt.…

PMID: 15138034

A wide variety of pesticides have been used in agriculture to increase the yield, quality and extend the storage life of crops. However, the use of pesticide has been increased now a day due to the ever-increasing population and rapid urbanization. The continuous uses of these pesticides have resulted in contamination of the environment, crops and also caused potential risk to human health. For this reason, strict regulations are developed and regulated to monitor these compounds. To date, several techniques have been developed for the extraction and detection of pesticides, from traditional to advanced detection techniques. The present study delineates a comprehensive up to date overview of the available traditional methods (gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with various detector) to advanced pre-treatment (polystyrene-coated magnetic nanoparticle) and detection (sensor development and nanotechnology) techniques used in the analysis of pesticides residue in various fruits and vegetables. Also, categorization of pesticides and its toxicity have been discussed.…

PMID: 32466907

The present study was initiated with the purpose to evaluate possible health risks associated with pesticide residues through consumption of vegetables and fruits by general population of Gujarat, India. A total of 1075 samples comprising of twelve different varieties of commonly consumed food commodities were collected from twenty-five divergent locations in Gujarat. The collected samples were extracted using QuEChERS method and analyzed for the presence of organophosphorus (OPs), organochlorine (OCs) and synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) pesticides using UHPLC-HR/MS, GC-μECD and GC-MS/SIM. The results indicated that 2.3% of vegetable and fruit samples showed the presence of pesticide residues exceeding maximum residue limits (MRLs). The results suggested that, detected residue levels in samples were within safe limits and their consumption will not pose any significant health risk to human. The outcomes present significant information regarding the status of vegetable and fruit contamination and pointed out the prerequisite for further studies with reference to monitoring of pesticides and other toxic contaminants in different samples for assessing cumulative health risk.…

PMID: 36217455

Consumers are confronted with conflicting information regarding the safety of specific foods. For example, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes an annual consumer guide in which they rank the pesticide contamination of 46 popular fruits and vegetables, which includes designating the 12 with the greatest pesticide contamination as the "Dirty Dozen," to help consumers reduce exposures to toxic pesticides. However, consumer guides like EWG's only incorporate some hazard assessment principles and do not reflect a dietary risk assessment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to apply risk assessment techniques to EWG's Dirty Dozen list using a uniform screening-level approach to estimate pesticide exposures for U.S. consumers and to characterize the associated chronic human health risks. The most commonly detected pesticide and its representative residue concentrations were identified for each produce type on the 2022 Dirty Dozen list using the USDA Pesticide Data Program database. Estimates of mean dietary consumption in the U.S. were used to calculate dietary exposure to each pesticide-produce combination for adults and children. Pesticide-specific U.S. EPA dietary health-based guidance values (HBGVs) were then used as benchmarks to evaluate the chronic human health risk of consuming each produce type. Overall, the estimated daily exposure for each pesticide-produce combination was below the corresponding HBGV for all exposure scenarios. The current analysis demonstrates that excessive produce-specific pesticide exposure is unexpected as the amount of produce that would need to be consumed on a chronic basis, even among children, far exceeds typical dietary intake. Future research is necessary to assess acute dietary exposure scenarios and to consider cumulative risk.…

PMID: 38626048

This review provides a comprehensive overview of strategies to mitigate pesticide residues in food, examining both household and industrial processing techniques alongside the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Simple household methods, such as washing, peeling, and thermal processing (e.g., boiling, frying), are effective. For instance, washing with running water achieves a reduction of up to 77% in residue for some vegetables. Additionally, processes like jam-making or frying can significantly reduce specific residues. Industrially, advanced methods such as ozonated water washing, ultrasonification, and cold plasma are employed for high efficiency while preserving food quality. Critically, AI is emerging as a powerful, indirect tool through predictive modelling, AI-assisted sorting/screening, and consumer guidance, enhancing precision agriculture and regulatory analytics. The review paper concludes that a combination of these diverse methods is essential for minimizing pesticide exposure and ensuring a safer food supply.…

PMID: 41515360