Present investigation discusses the toxic effects of two organophosphorus pesticides (Malathion) and (Glyphosate) on brine shrimp, Artemia in static acute toxicity tests (24hr and 48hr). Toxicity tests were performed at a temperature of 27±1⁰C with a photoperiod of 12h light and 12h dark. Ten healthy nauplii were exposed to five different concentrations of Malathion (10, 20, 40, 60 and 80 ppm) and Glyphosate (0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 ppm) along with a control group. Finney's Probit analysis was used to determine the 24h/48h LC50 values and were found to be 58.3 and 17.3 ppm, 0.028 and 0.019 ppm for Malathion and Glyphosate, respectively. Of the two pesticides tested Glyphosate was found to be significantly more toxic to Artemia nauplii than that of Malathion (P < 0.05).

In this study, a total of 49 samples of fruits and vegetables (dates, leafy vegetables and fruiting vegetables) produced locally in the farms in Qatar and 42 samples of soil and water from these farms were analyzed using Gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC/ECD), and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to detect residual levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). The levels of OCPs of all samples were below the MRLs. The correlation analysis results showed that water and soil could be a potential source of the contamination of aBHC, b-BHC, heptachlor, g-chlordane and endrin in the fruit and vegetable samples. In this study, a risk assessment analysis was also performed to estimate daily intake of OCPs by Qatari population. The risk assessment study revealed that the intake of the studied OCPs posed no risk to human health due to their levels of intake below MRLs.