Integrating environmental carry capacity based on pesticide risk assessment in soil management: A case study for China

Analysis of nationwide soil pesticide pollution: Insights from China

China is a typical agricultural country that heavily relies on pesticides. Some pesticides can remain in the soil after application and thus pose a significant threat to human health. In order to characterize the status and hazards of nationwide soil contamination, this study extracted concentration data from published literature and analyzed them by a scoring approach, standard comparison and health risk assessment. For the soil pollution score, northern regions got the highest values, such as Henan (0.63), Liaoning (0.55), Heilongjiang (0.54) and Jilin (0.53), which implies high soil pesticide residues in these provinces. In contrast, Qinghai (-0.77), Guizhou (-0.64) and Tibet (-0.63) had lower scores. China's soil pesticide standards cover only 16 pesticides, and these pesticide concentrations were all below the corresponding standards. Direct exposure to soil pesticides in this study generally posed a negligible risk to children. Furthermore, pesticide dissipation and usage intensity in each province were analyzed as they were possible influences on pollution. The result showed that soil in the northern regions could accumulate more pesticides than those in the southern regions, and this geographic pattern was basically consistent with the distribution of soil pollution. However, the relationship between agricultural activities and soil pollution was less well characterized. It is recommended to establish a long-term monitoring database for pesticides and include more pesticides in regulatory frameworks. Additionally, efforts to accelerate pesticide degradation and shift the planting structure to reduce pesticide usage can help alleviate the pressure on soil from pesticides. This study can serve as a critical reference for policymakers and stakeholders in the field of agriculture.

Fate characteristics and risk quantification of cyflumetofen from tomato cultivation to processing based on large-scale applications

Elucidating the fate characteristics of cyflumetofen and its main metabolite 2-TFMBA in tomato from cultivation to processing is crucial for safeguarding the environment and humans from hazardous effects. Cyflumetofen and 2-TFMBA could exist stably in tomato matrices for at least 343 days under frozen and dark conditions according to UHPLC-MS/MS, with a limit of quantitation of 0.001 mg/kg and retention time within 2.12 min. The occurrence, dissipation, and concentration variation of cyflumetofen were reflected by original depositions of 0.02-0.44 mg/kg, half-lives of 1.7-7.2 days, and terminal magnitudes of 0.005-0.30 mg/kg, respectively, with various influencing factors, e.g., climate conditions and tomato cultivars. Additionally, 13.5-59.3% of cyflumetofen was metabolized to 2-TFMBA, showing significant toxicological effects ranging from cultivation to processing. When the concentration decreased by 0.06 mg/kg, cyflumetofen was effectively removed by peeling, while washing was the recommended method for removing 2-TFMBA with a processing factor of 0.70. The comparative dietary risks of sum cyflumetofen were assessed for all life cycle populations using deterministic and probabilistic models. The risk quotients decreased to 1.3-4.8 times during the preparation of home canning tomato paste. Despite the low exposure risk, the potential health hazards of sum cyflumetofen should be considered, given its ubiquity and cumulative effects.