Organochlorine pesticide residues in tea and their potential risks to consumers in Ethiopia

Abstract

Tea is the most frequently consumed drink in the sphere; next to the water. However, tea can be contaminated by different pesticides particularly those outdated pesticides which have been familiar as one of the main difficulties in Ethiopia and contaminate the food commodities. From a study done in south west of Ethiopia, Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and endosulfan were detected in commonly consumed food items. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to analyze the residue of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in tea collected from the market and assessing their risks to consumers. 19 different tea samples were randomly collected from supermarkets in Jimma town and Addis Ababa city. In the analytical procedure, QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Rugged, and Safe) method was applied for the extraction of tea samples. The finding of the study revealed that, five OCPs (aldrin, γ-chlordane, DDT, endrin, and dibutylchlorepoxide) were detected at a concentration of 0.1465, 0.167, 0.2044, 0.3067 and 0.4089 mg kg−1 in domestic tea, respectively, while endosulfan sulfate, methoxychlor, and heptachlor epoxide were detected at a concentration of 0.258, 0.458 and 1.427 mg kg-1 in imported tea samples respectively. From the pesticides detected, the mean concentration of DDT (0.292–0.825 mg kg−1) is above the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) established by China (0.2 mg kg−1). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of γ-chlordane and endrin were above the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs), this indicates that there is a health risk for tea consumers. The detection of pesticide residues in tea reveals that there is the widespread use of OCPs in the study area for agricultural purposes or as vector control. Therefore, strict regulation of pesticides during production, importing, sale, and application in the field is important for Ethiopia.