Evaluation of Pesticide Residues in Cucumbers Used in Salad Production Plants in Isfahan City, Iran

Pesticides are a group of chemical compounds which are used in vegetables to control or remove some pests. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quantity of some pesticides in cucumbers used in salad production plants.
In this study, 22 cucumber samples were collected from 3 salad production plants in Isfahan City, Iran. Simultaneous determination of 16 permitted pesticides defined in Iranian national standard including bromopropylate, permethrin, pirimicarb, tetradifone, deltamethrin, diazinon, dichlorvos, dimethoate, famoxadone, fenazaquine, fenpropathrin, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, chlorothalonil, malathion and metalaxyl were determined via gas chromatography-mass.
Findings: This procedure showed satisfactory recovery (86-119 percent) with relative standard deviation (RSD) of ≤ 20.22%. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were between 3.54-14.91 and 11.81-49.92 mg/l, respectively. Dichlorvos and chlorpyrifos detected over than maximum residue limits (MRLs) defined in Iranian national standard in 6 out of 22 cucumber samples (27%) in the range of 95-188.75 and 230-771 µg/kg, respectively. Dimethoate and metalaxyl were detected less than maximum residue limits in national standard in all samples. Contamination with other pesticides was not observed in the samples.
Pesticides including dichlorvos and chlorpyrifos were found in one third of cucumber samples of current study. Regarding the importance of vegetables consumption as well as the adverse effects of pesticides on human health, it is necessary to perform and manage the routine monitoring of pesticide in supervision organization.