Monitoring of Neonicotinoid Pesticide Residues in Fruit Vegetable and Human Exposure Assessment

We investigated five neonicotinoid pesticide residues (acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam) in fruit vegetables and estimated the exposure of neonicotinoid pesticide residue through fruit vegetable consumption using a deterministic approach. Two hundred forty samples of eight fruit vegetables cultivated in Korea were analyzed for their pesticide residue contents. Acetamiprid had the highest detection frequency and the highest residue level in pepper. However, all pesticide levels detected didn't exceed national MRLs. The results using a deterministic approach showed that for chronic and acute study of all neonicotinoid pesticide residues, the exposure was about 50 times lower than toxicological endpoint values. It is necessary to understand that the exposure assessment in this study using a probabilistic approach should be regarded as a important knowledge in the decision-making process.