Analysis of multiple pesticide residues in market samples of okra and associated dietary risk assessment for consumers

Bifenthrin Diminishes Male Fertility Potential by Inducing Protein Defects in Mouse Sperm

A synthetic pyrethroid pesticide, bifenthrin, has been commonly used as an effective exterminator, although the rise in its usage has raised concerns regarding its effects on the environment and public health, including reproduction, globally. The current study investigated the function-related molecular disparities and mechanisms in bifenthrin-exposed sperm cells and the underlying mechanism. Therefore, epididymal spermatozoa were released, and various concentrations of bifenthrin were treated (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μM) to evaluate their effects on sperm. The findings showed that although bifenthrin had no effect on sperm viability, various other sperm functions (e.g., motility, spontaneous acrosome reaction, and capacitation) related to male fertility were decreased, commencing at a 1 µM treatment. Molecular studies revealed nine differentially expressed sperm proteins that were implicated in motile cilium assembly, sperm structure, and metabolic processes. Furthermore, bifenthrin affected sperm functions through abnormal diminution of the expression of specific sperm proteins. Collectively, these findings provide greater insights into how bifenthrin affects male fertility at the molecular level.

Pesticides in vegetable production in Bangladesh: A systemic review of contamination levels and associated health risks in the last decade

This paper reviewed the published data on the levels of different pesticide residues in vegetables (tomato, eggplant, beans, gourds, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, potato, carrot, onion, red chilli, red amaranth, lady's finger, spinach, coriander, and lettuce) from Bangladesh in the last decade. Vegetable production in Bangladesh has increased tremendously (37.63%) compared to the last decades, along with its pesticide use. The most observed pesticide groups used in vegetable production were organophosphorus, pyrethroids, carbamate, organochlorine, nereistoxin analogue group, and neonicotinoids. More specifically, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, diazinon, and malathion were the most used pesticides. More than 29% of the vegetable samples (1577) were contaminated with pesticide residue; among the contaminated samples (458), most cases (73%) exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs). The pesticide-contaminated vegetables were cucumber (51%), tomato (41%), cauliflower (31%), miscellaneous vegetables (36%), eggplant (29%), beans (23%), cabbage (18%), and gourds (16%). Among the pesticide-contaminated samples, vegetables with above MRL were gourds (100%), beans (92), tomato (78%), eggplant (73%), miscellaneous vegetables (69%), cucumber (62%), cabbage (50%), cauliflower (50%) (p < 0.05). It was also observed that a single vegetable was often contaminated with multiple pesticides, and farmers did not follow a proper withdrawal period while using pesticides. Hazard quotation (HQ>1) was observed in adolescents and adults in tomato, eggplant, beans, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, lady's finger, lettuce, and coriander. There was no health risk observed (HQ<1) in gourds, potato, carrot, onion, red chilli, red amaranth, spinach, and okra. The highest acute and chronic HQ (aHQ, cHQ) was observed for cypermethrin (bean) in adolescents (aHQ=255, cHQ= 510) and adults (aHQ=131, cHQ=263). It was also observed that these pesticides harmed air, soil, water, and non-target organisms. Nevertheless, the review will help the government develop policies that reduce pesticide use and raise people's awareness of its harmful effects.

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.

Notifications on Pesticide Residues in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)

Pesticides are commonly used to protect plants against various pests and to preserve crops, but their residues can be harmful for human health. They are the third most widely reported hazard category in the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). The purpose of the study was to identify the most frequently notified pesticides in the RASFF in 1981–2020, considering: year, notification type, product category, origin country, notifying country, notification basis, distribution status and action taken. The data from the RASFF database was processed using: filtering, transposition, pivot tables and then subjected to cluster analysis: joining (tree clustering) and two-way joining methods. Pesticides were most commonly reported in fruits and vegetables and herbs and spices following border controls and rejections. The products usually came from India or Turkey and were not placed on the market or were not distributed and then destroyed. The effectiveness of the European Union border posts in terms of hazards detection and mutual information is important from the point of view of protecting the internal market and ensuring public health. It is also necessary to increase the awareness of pesticide users through training and the activity of control authorities in the use of pesticides.