Mapping Multiple Pesticides in Vegetables from Major Producing Areas across China: Coexposure Risk Assessment and Risk Prioritization

Abstract The application of various pesticides to ensure vegetable yields may result in the occurrence of pesticide residues as mixtures. However, information regarding the dietary exposure assessment and risk prioritization of multipesticides in vegetables remains limited. Here, we employed a suspect screening strategy to examine the occurrence of pesticides in 205 samples of cowpea, leek, and celery collected from markets and fields across 11 major producing provinces in China. Totally, 38 pesticides were identified, including 22 in cowpea, 25 in leek, and 23 in celery. Of these, the mean total concentrations of pesticides (∑Pesticides) were 163 ng/g, 96.3 ng/g, and 301 ng/g in cowpea, leek, and celery, respectively. Notably, fungicides and insecticides contributed to >90% of ∑Pesticides, reflecting their extensive use in these vegetables. Exposure to pesticide mixtures was estimated to pose greater health risks than those of single exposure. Additionally, risk prioritization identified six high-priority pesticides (lufenuron, difenoconazole, λ-cyhalothrin, azoxystrobin, procymidone, and propiconazole; ToxPi score >0.5) using the ToxPi framework. The predicted strong binding affinities (<−7.0 kcal/mol) for 61.5% of the protein–pesticide complexes toward neurotoxic and endocrine-disrupting targets suggested potential molecular-level interactions linked to toxicological concerns of the identified pesticides. These results underscore the potential health concerns associated with coexposure to multiple pesticides in vegetables.