Dietary exposure to pesticide residues from foods of plant origin and drinks in Lebanon

Abstract

This study assesses the dietary exposure of Lebanese adults to 47 pesticide residues from both foods of plant origin and drinks. The study was conducted using the Total Diet Study protocol in two different areas of Lebanon: Greater Beirut (urban) and Keserwan (semi-rural). A total of 1860 individual foods were collected, prepared, and cooked prior to analysis. Composite samples of similar foods were analyzed, following the QuEChERS Multiresidue method. Eighteen residues were detected/quantified on at least one composite sample, with 66.7 % of the results being quantifiable and 33.3 % detectable. Quantifiable levels ranged between 10.3 and 208 μg/kg. For the composite samples where residues were detected, 55 % had one residue, while 45 % had 2–4 residues. The most frequently detected/quantified pesticide residues included Chlorpyrifos, Procymidone, Primiphos methyl, Dimethoate, and Dieldrin. The dietary exposure assessment was conducted using the deterministic approach with two scenarios: (1) the lower bound (LB) approach and (2) the upper bound (UB) approach. Using the LB approach, mean estimated daily exposures were far below the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) for all investigated residues. Using the UB approach, which tends to overestimate exposure, mean estimated daily exposures were below the ADIs for all residues except for Dieldrin (semi-rural: 128.7 % ADI; urban: 100.7 % ADI). Estimates of mean exposure to Diazinon reached 50.3 % of ADI in the urban diet and 61.9 % in the semi-rural diet. Findings of this study identify specific pesticide residues as monitoring priorities for which more comprehensive and sensitive analyses are needed in order to refine exposure assessment.

Microbiological and Chemical Quality of Portuguese Lettuce—Results of a Case Study

“…The consumption of pesticide-contaminated food via one’s daily diet is a major source of exposure to pesticides, which may pose adverse effects to humans. leading to acute, chronic, or subchronic problems [ 7 ]. Some fruit and vegetables are at the top of the list of foods that contain the highest pesticide levels, since most of them are grown close to the soil, are eaten raw, and are without the need to remove the skin [ 8 ].…”

Suggested policy and legislation reforms to reduce deleterious effect of pesticides in Lebanon

“…Prices of agricultural commodities plummeted, and farmers suffered ( Habboush, 2017 ). The floor then was opened for accusations ( Assaf, 2002 ) and blames ( The Daily Star, 2009 ) until the public would forget the incidence or another study show that contrary to the other studies, it was safe to consume those commodities because residues were below the MRLs ( Nasreddine et al., 2016 ) or because processing could decrease pesticides residues. Further studies on the effect of pesticides used in Lebanon on human health, particularly on agricultural workers, demonstrated that some of them have limited skills regarding safe pesticides application that was associated with low precautionary measures to reduce the risk of pesticides contamination ( Salameh et al., 2004 ).…”

Novel Method for The Valorization of Essential Oils From Orange By-Product

“…In commercial orange E.O (CO2), 2 pesticide residues out of 6 were identi ed and exceeded the limits, while in the extracted oil 3 out of 3 detected pesticides residues exceed the MRL. This may be due to the over application of pesticides and the mal agricultural practices in Lebanon especially on citrus fruits as mentioned by Nasreddine et al, 2016. The authors reported detect some banned and unbanned pesticides that exceed the MRL in the Lebanese fruits and vegetables due to the absence of effective low enforcements by the relevant ministries.…”