Abstract:
Fruits and vegetables are crucial components of a healthy diet, which are susceptible to
pests. Therefore, the application of pesticides is a basic manner of crop chemical protection.
The aim of this study was a comprehensive analysis of pesticide occurrence in 1114 samples
of fruits and vegetables. A unified multi-analytical protocol was used composed of primary
–secondary amine/graphitized carbon black/magnesium sulfate to purify samples with
diversified profile of interfering substances. Moreover, the obtained analytical data were
used to evaluate the critical acute health risk in subpopulations of children and adults
within European limits criteria. Out of 550 pesticides analyzed, 38 and 69 compounds were
noted in 58.6% of fruits and 44.2% of vegetables, respectively. Acetamiprid (14.1% of all
detections) and captan (11.3%) occurred the most frequently in fruits, while pendimethalin
(10.6%) and azoxystrobin (8.6%) occurred the most frequently in vegetables. A total of
28% of vegetable and 43% of fruit samples were multiresidues with up to 13 pesticides in
dill, reaching a final concentration of 0.562 mg kg−1
. Maximum residue level (MRL) was
exceeded in 7.9% of fruits and 7.3% of vegetables, up to 7900% MRL for chlorpyrifos in dill
(0.79 mg kg−1
). Notably, 8 out of 38 pesticides found in fruits (21%; 1.2% for carbendazim)
and 24 out of 69 compounds in vegetables (35%, 7.4% for chlorpyrifos) were not approved
in the EU. Concentrations of pesticides exceeding MRL were used to assess acute health risk
for children and adults. Moreover, the incidence of acute health risk was proved for children
consuming parsnip with linuron (156%). In other cases, it was below 100%, indicating
that Polish food is safe. The work provides reliable and representative scientific data on
the contamination of fruits and vegetables with pesticides. It highlights the importance of
legislative changes to avoid the occurrence of not approved pesticides in the EU, increasing
food and health safety
