Pyrethroids contamination and health risk assessment in seafood collected from the coast of Shandong, China

This study provides the first data on pyrethroid residues of seafood in China. A total of 192 seafood samples were randomly selected from four coastal cities of Shandong Province in 2020. The residues of fenpropathrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin in seafood by GC-MS were ND to 26.82 mu g/kg, ND to 19.18 mu g/kg and ND to 15.56 mu g/kg, respectively. The cumulative risk to general population of different age groups was assessed by the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) approaches, and showed that the maximum value of both HQ (1.81 x 10-3) and HI (2.9 x 10-3) were below the threshold 1. The present results indicated that the three main pyrethroids from the consumption of seafood is unlikely to pose a health risk to general populations in Shandong. The uncertainty analysis indicated that the monitoring study of pyrethroid residues in seafood is worthy of continuous attention to ensure food safety.

Automated summary

This study provides the first data on pyrethroid residues in seafood in China. The residues of fenpropathrin, cypermethrin, and deltamethrin in seafood samples from coastal cities in Shandong Province ranged from not detected to 26.82 μg/kg, not detected to 19.18 μg/kg, and not detected to 15.56 μg/kg, respectively. The risk assessment using hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) approaches showed that the maximum values of both HQ (1.81 x 10-3) and HI (2.9 x 10-3) were below the threshold 1. The results suggest that the consumption of seafood containing these three main pyrethroids is unlikely to pose a health risk to the general population in Shandong. The uncertainty analysis highlights the importance of continuous monitoring of pyrethroid residues in seafood to ensure food safety.