Abstract
We tested for residual pesticide levels in school foodservice agricultural products in Seoul, Korea from 2010 to 2012. A total of 316 samples of 23 different types of agricultural products were analyzed via gas chromatography-nitrogen phosphate detector (GC-NPD), an electron capture detector (GC-μECD), a mass spectrometry detector (GC-MSD), and a high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV). We used multi-analysis methods to analyze 185 different pesticide types. Among the selected agricultural products, residual pesticides were detected in 26 samples (8.2%), of which 6 samples (1.9%) exceeded the Korea Maximum Residue limits (MRLs). We detected pesticide residue in more than 65% of the Chwinamul, while 6 among 9 analyzed samples contained pesticide residue, and 1 sample exceeded the Korea MRLs. Among the 185 kinds of pesticides that we have tested, 18 were detected, while 7 of them were detected more than twice. Data obtained were then used for estimating the potential health risks associated with the exposures to these pesticides. The most critical commodity is carbofuran in the perilla leaves, which has contributed 3.8% to the hazard index (HI). These results showed that the detected pesticides could not be considered as a serious public health problem. Nevertheless, constant supervision is recommended.
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