Pesticide residues insecticides

Groundwater has also been surveyed for methyl parathion. In a study of well water in selected California communities, methyl parathion was not detected (detection limit of 5 ppb) in the 54 wells sampled (Maddy et al. 1982), even though the insecticide had been used in the areas studied for over 15 years. An analysis of 358 wells in Wisconsin produced the same negative results (Krill and Sonzogni 1986). In a sampling of California well water for pesticide residues, no methyl parathion was detected in any of the well water samples (California EPA 1995). In a study to determine the residue levels of pesticides in shallow groundwater of the United States, water samples from 1,012 wells and 22 springs were analyzed. Methyl parathion was not detected in any of the water samples (Kolpin et al. 1998). In a study of water from near-surface aquifers in the Midwest, methyl parathion was not detected in any of the water samples from 94 wells that were analyzed for pesticide levels (Kolpin et al. 1995). 

Each sample was analyzed for a specific set of compounds, corresponding to pesticide residues that might occur in the Suit or vegetable from use of one or more organophosphate insecticides on the growing crop. Insecticides of interest are listed in Table 1. 

Pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, are widely used in agriculture, and the potential for these residues to accumulate in food has led to concern for human safety. Pesticide residues may enter food animals from environmental sources or from treated or contaminated feeds. Immunoassay development for pesticides has had major impacts for pesticide registrations, analysis of residues in foods, monitoring environmental contamination, determination of occupational exposure, and integration of pest management. 

Larsen AA, Robinson, JM, Schmitt N, et al. 1971. Pesticide residues in mother s milk and human fat from intensive use of soil insecticides. HSMHA Health Reports 86(5) 477-481. 

Cabras, P, Cabitza, F., Meloni, M., andPirisi, F.M. Behavior ofsome pesticide residues on greenhouse tomatoes. 2. Fungicides, acaricides, and insecticides, J. Agric. Food Chem., 33(5) 935-937, 1985. 

High-performance LC methods for pesticide residue analysis were first developed for nonvolatile or thermally labile compounds, such as carbamate insecticides. Because HPLC offers a simpler and/or faster approach to analysis for a wide range of other compounds, it is becoming more and more widely accepted, and its applications are steadily increasing in number. Although HPLC has been used in the analysis of OCPs and OPPs, the literature on its application in food is scarce. The methods reported have been summarized in Table 4. 

In this chapter, we reviewed the effect of commonly used herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides on yeasts. We also studied the effect of alcoholic and malolactic fermentation on pesticide residues. 

Since well-established chemical derivatisation techniques already exist for the majority of the organochlorine insecticides (5, 1) it is not surprising that recent activity in this area has centred round compounds such as Kepone, Mirex, HCB, the PCBs, etc. which co-interfere in both the identification and quantitation of pesticide residues. 

A critical pesticide residue problem today is that of chlorinated hydro-carbon pesticides in milk. The easiest solution to this problem is an across-the-board restriction on the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in any environment which might contaminate dairy animals or feeds. This type of restriction would doubtless create hardships on other agricultural enterprises in those areas and may in fact be unnecessary. Detailed examination of the possible sources may well point to solutions which will not sweepingly encompass all chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides or all uses of them. 

While these data represent mere snapshots of the global situation, they ofier a stark warning. Given that the use of such toxic pesticides is widespread, evidence of contamination found at one location points to a potential far greater problem worldwide. Furthermore, the few studies which have analysed the frequency of cottonseed contamination have found pesticide residues to be widespread. A recent analysis of cottonseed samples harvested in 5 locations in India found 26 % to be contaminated with chlorpyrifos (WHO II), 22% with endo-sulfan (WHO II),and 16% with ethion (WHO II) . While a parallel study conducted in Pakistan found almost 75% of cottonseed samples to be contaminated with pesticides, with 41% exceeding the prescribed maximum residue limits . According to a recent study conducted by researchers in India, Because of the injudicious and indiscriminate use of insecticides, it is feared that cotton reaching the market may be heavily contaminated with insecticide residues. ... 

The majority of pyrethroid insecticides have low volatilities. The heavily used synthetic pyrethroid permethrin is classified as nonvolatile on the basis of its vapor pressure (1.3 x 10 kPa at 20 °C) and is rarely found in indoor air. However, it has recently been reported to be the major pesticide residue found in house dust (USEPA, 2000d). Cyper-methrin [( )-a-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl-( )-cA,frani -3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate] and cyfluthrin [cyano(4-fluoro-3-phenoxy-phenyl)methyl 3-(2,2-dichloro-ethenyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate] are two other low-volatility pyrethroids commonly used for indoor flea and cockroach control. 

It may come to mind that the introduction of crops that impact pesticide use will inevitably lead to shifts in pesticide residue patterns in foods derived from these crops. In insect-resistant crops, for example, reductions in insecticide sprays against the target insects can be anticipated and concomitant reductions in crop residues. For herbicide toler-... 

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