engleski

Exposure to pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides in Croatian population - preliminary results

The main objective of the project “Exposure to pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides in children – risk assessment for adverse effects on neuropsychological development and hormonal status - PyrOPECh” (http://pyropech.imi.hr) is to assess the inadequately explored risk of adverse effects of exposure to pyrethroid (PYR) and organophosphate (OP) insecticides on neurobehavioral and sexual development in (pre)pubertal boys. The first phase of the study, of which preliminary results are presented here, is to assess the potential exposure to PYR and OP insecticides in the Croatian population. In order to estimate the dietary exposure to pesticides in Croatian adolescents, a Total Diet Study for the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County is presently being conducted. Food samples, covering at least 95% of the diet of Croatian adolescents (based on the national consumption data ; https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/microstrategy/foodex 2-level-7), were collected from shops and markets in Zagreb and prepared as normally consumed in a dedicated kitchen facility. Homogenised composite food samples were analysed at the Backweston Laboratory Complex of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Celbridge, Ireland. The samples were extracted by the standard miniLuke method and analysed using GC- High Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry and LC- QQQ (Quality Control: SANTE/11312/2021). Dietary exposures to PYRs and OPs were assessed by the EFSA DietEX Tool v. 1.0. Out of 509 analysed composite samples (corresponding to 1800 subsamples), pesticide residues were quantified in 147 samples (29%). Values above a maximum residue level (MRL) were found in 21 out of 509 samples (4%) ; i.e. in 8 out of 316 analysed fruit and vegetable samples (2.5%), and in 13 out of 148 analysed food samples of animal origin (9%). The most frequently quantified insecticides were neonicotinoids and PYRs (33% and 22% out of quantified insecticides, respectively), followed by carbamates and OPs (12% and 9%, respectively). Out of 8 PYR and 4 OP insecticides, 4 PYRs and 3 OPs are not currently approved in the EU. PYRs were found in various fruits, pickled vegetables, chicken meat and 60 processed pork and beef meat. OPs were found in spring onions, lettuce and honey. Amongst Croatian adults, the mean dietary exposure to PYR insecticide residues ranged from 6.6E-04 to 0.03 ng/kg body weight/day for fruits and vegetables and from 0.027 to 41 ng/kg bw/d for food of animal origin. For OP insecticides, values ranged from 8.6E-05 to 0.45 ng/kg bw/d for fruits and vegetables, and honey. These values were within the range of estimates obtained when our TDS results were applied to food consumption data for both the EU adult and adolescent populations. These pesticide residue estimates of exposure will be updated with new data from the TDS study and food consumption data for adolescents arising from the ongoing PyrOPECh study. This research is funded by the Croatian Science Foundation (HrZZ- IP-2019-04-7193) and collaborative efforts with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland.

total diet study, Zagreb region, pesticide residues, pyrethroid insecticides, organophosphate Insecticides

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