Occurrence of the insecticide fipronil and its degradates in indoor dust from South, Central, and North China

Human Exposure of Fipronil Insecticide and the Associated Health Risk

“…In Italy, fipronil was observed in residential house dust in the absence and in the presence of pets, and the median values in studied samples were 11 and 367 pg/mg, respectively . Shi et al (2020) reported ∑FPs levels between ND and 33600 pg/mg (median 7.12 pg/mg) in 436 indoor dust samples from three cities in China which resulted in the ordinary fipronil intake of 3.39 pg/kg bw/day for adults and 42.7 pg/kg bw/day for infants . The levels of fipronil in indoor dust in China was lower than those in the US and the Italy.…”

“…12 Shi et al (2020) reported ∑FPs levels between ND and 33600 pg/mg (median 7.12 pg/mg) in 436 indoor dust samples from three cities in China which resulted in the ordinary fipronil intake of 3.39 pg/kg bw/day for adults and 42.7 pg/kg bw/day for infants. 13 The levels of fipronil in indoor dust in China was lower than those in the US and the Italy.…”

“…Fipronil can be degraded into metabolites in the environment, mainly including fipronil desulfinyl, fipronil sulfone, and fipronil sulfide . Fipronil and its metabolites have been found in environmental samples, such as surface water, drinking water, indoor and outdoor dust, − and food samples, − including vegetables, dietary samples, eggs, milk, teas, etc., as well as biological samples, ,− such as urine, serum, and hair. All of these indicate that fipronil is ubiquitous in the environment.…”

“…Some literature has reported that dietary food exposure is the main source of exposure, , but the exposure observed in the human body cannot be attributed to dietary exposure alone. Nondietary exposure routes have also attracted researchers’ interest, and the contribution from other exposure routes, such as dust and air inhalation, has been confirmed. − , In recent decades, a large amount of experimental evidence on the toxicity of fipronil has provided extensive background information on the adverse effects of fipronil exposure. However, the consequences of fipronil exposure to human health have been less investigated.…”

Exposure to Fipronil Insecticide in the Sixth Total Diet Study — China, 2016–2019

“…Notably, fipronil, as the main active ingredient of hygienic insecticide, is still widely used in indoor hygiene and seed protection according to the Chinese pesticide information website (7). Several studies reported that fipronil exposure to indoor dust and environmental water reached noticeable levels (8)(9)(10). Therefore, in addition to dietary exposure, other exposure pathways should be closely monitored.…”