The fate of carbofuran in rice‐fish and livestock farming

Abstract

Abstract A supervised residue trial was conducted with five insecticides, one fungicide and one herbicide to determine which pesticides remain in rice at harvest Only carbofuran and chlorpyrifos residues were detected in the whole grains, stalks and leaves. Carbofuran 3G was applied to rice paddy by broadcast. The paddy water was drained into a fish pond after 3 h to determine the movement, distribution and loss in an aquatic ecosystem. The residues in fish were concentrated in entrails, some in fillet and least in the head, all at levels below the maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.02 mg/kg for meat. The residues in pond water were absorbed by kangkong plants (Ipomoea aquatica) up to 15 days and declined thereafter. The highest carbofuran residues in kangkong were within the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for man (0.003 mg/kg). No MRL has been set for kangkong but an MRL of 0.5 mg/kg has been recommended for cabbage. When [14C]carbofuran‐contaminated leaves were fed to lactating goats for 7 consecutive days...