Dietary Pyrethroid Exposures and Intake Doses for 188 Duplicate-Single Solid Food Items Consumed by North Carolina Adults.

Marsha K Morgan

doi:10.3390/toxics8010006

Abstract

Few studies have measured pyrethroid residue concentrations in food items consumed by adults in their daily environments. In a further analysis of study data, the objectives were to determine pyrethroid residue levels in single, solid food items consumed by adults and to estimate dietary pyrethroid exposures and intake doses per food item. A total of 50 adults collected 782 duplicate-diet solid food samples over a six-week monitoring period in North Carolina between 2009 and 2011. Of these samples, 188 contained a single, solid food item (i.e., lasagna). Levels of eight pyrethroids were quantified in the 188 food items using LC–MS/MS. At least one pyrethroid was detected in 39% of these food items. Cis-permethrin (17%), bifenthrin (15%), trans-permethrin (14%), and deltamethrin (14%) were detected the most often. Cyfluthrin, cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, and esfenvalerate were all detected in <6% of the samples. The highest residue level was found in a pizza sample containing both cis-permethrin (96.4 ng/g) and trans-permethrin (73.7 ng/g). For cis-permethrin, median residue levels (≥LOQ) were significantly higher (p = 0.001) in foods that contained a fruit/vegetable compared to foods that did not. For individual pyrethroids, the participants’ maximum dietary intake doses in the single food items ranged from 38.1 (deltamethrin) to 939 ng/kg/day (cis/trans-permethrin).

Highlights

In the United States (US), the synthetic pyrethroid insecticides have been widely used to control insects in agricultural settings since the 1970s [1,2]
A few studies, conducted in the US between 2005 and 2011 have measured pyrethroid residues in the actual foods consumed by adults in their daily environments [10,12,13]
The levels of eight current-use pyrethroids were quantified in 188 duplicate-single solid food items consumed by Ex-R adults over a six-week monitoring period in North

Summary

Introduction

In the United States (US), the synthetic pyrethroid insecticides have been widely used to control insects in agricultural settings since the 1970s [1,2]. It is estimated that on average ~40 million acres of farmland each year are treated with pyrethroids to kill insect pests primarily on 11 major food crops including citrus, corn, potatoes, rice, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets, sunflowers, sweet corn, tomatoes, and wheat [4]. Livestock are routinely treated with products containing pyrethroids (e.g., sprays, pour-ons, dips, or ear tags) to control insects on farms [1,8]. Research has suggested that the diet is a major source of exposure to pyrethroids in US adults [3,9,10,11]. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Total Diet Study (TDS)

Methods

Results

Conclusion