Residues of carcinogenic pesticides in food: a systematic review

Abstract

Most agricultural products are exposed to pesticides. Organochlorine (OCPs) insecticides have been banned for years due to their persistence in the environment and lipophilic properties. On the other hand, some carcinogenic organophosphates are used in high amounts. Therefore, this systematic review was performed with the keywords; pesticide, carcinogenic, carcinogen, residue, contamination, pollution, and food to determine the type of food and pesticide. 663 manuscripts were found by searching in databases. After initial screening and quality assessment of full text, 26 manuscripts were selected. In this study, by reviewing selected manuscripts, about 13 pesticides were associated with carcinogenic effects. These pesticides were Chlorothalonil, Glyphosate, Tetrachlorvinphos, Parathion, Malathion, Diazinon, heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzene, aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, chlordane, Lindane. Most of these pesticides were organochlorine. The organochlorine pesticides are primarily detected in foods of animal origin. In some studies, the amount of carcinogenic organochlorine was higher than the permissible levels. From the carcinogenic herbicide, Glyphosate. An important finding of this systematic review is that carcinogenic organochlorines are still a threat to cancer incidence.

Pesticide residue and dietary intake risk of vegetables grown in Shanghai under modern urban agriculture in 2018–2021

“…These are collectively referred to as ‘emerging pollutants’, which cause serious harm to human health and the environment and have attracted increasing attention [ [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] ]. Some reports suggest that pesticide intake may contribute to headaches, allergies, depression, respiratory diseases even teratogenicity, cancer and foetal death [ [13] , [14] , [15] ].…”

Regional Variations in Pesticide Residue Detection Rates and Concentrations in Saudi Arabian Crops

“…Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and pesticide residues are widely known toxic chemicals because of their ability to detrimentally accumulate both in the human body and the environment [ 1 ]. They are considered highly lipophilic, hence the potential to accrue in most living organisms, especially within the food chain, including plants, fishes, birds and mammals [ 2 ].…”

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“…This property is quantitatively described by the coefficient of accumulation and its values can be hundreds to thousands. [6,7] For many years, humans have used a variety of chemicals to repel pests. These substances have caused severe and irreparable damage to nature, environmental health, the balance and stability of ecosystems, and the health of living things.…”