Occurrences of eight common-used pesticide adjuvants in ten vegetable species and implications for dietary intake in North China

Pesticide adjuvants (PAs) are important components of pesticide products. However, limited information is available regarding their occurrences in foodstuffs. Herein, eight common-used PAs were investigated in vegetables in North China in 2014-2016. The residue levels of total PAs in vegetables from markets and farms were 500 and 661 mu g/kg, respectively. The highest residues of total PAs were found in cauliflowers (average: 1.53 x 10(3) mu g/kg, market vegetables) and spinaches (average: 3.72 x 10(3) mu g/kg, farm vegetables), respectively. In addition, Tristyrylphenol ethoxylates (TPE) dominated the total 8 PAs concentrations in most vegetable species. Moreover, the risk assessment showed that the human health risks associated with TPE and nonylphenol (NP) exposure via vegetables for adults were acceptable, and the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of other six PAs were in the range of <0.010-0.89 mu g/kg bw/day, which were less likely to pose a threat to human health.

Automated summary

This study investigated the residues of eight common-used pesticide adjuvants in vegetables in North China from 2014 to 2016, finding that the residue levels of total PAs in vegetables from markets and farms were 500 and 661 mu g/kg, respectively. The highest residues of total PAs were found in cauliflowers and spinaches, with Tristyrylphenol ethoxylates dominating the concentrations in most vegetable species. As for human health risks, exposure to TPE and NP via vegetables for adults was deemed acceptable, while the estimated daily intakes of the other six PAs were unlikely to pose a threat to human health.