Reduction Of Pesticide Residues Research Articles

A nanocarrier pesticide delivery system with promising benefits in the case of dinotefuran: strikingly enhanced bioactivity and reduced pesticide residue

SPc can be conjugated with dinotefuran through hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces, which reduce particle size, increase plant uptake and bioactivity, and decrease residue. The dinotefuran/SPc complex is relatively safe to predators and plants.

DISTRIBUTION AND QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES FROM A SAMPLE OF RED GRAPEFRUIT, AFTER TREATMENT WITH FUNGICIDE SOLUTIONS

"The Most citrus fruits are compromised each year due to post-harvest fungal infections. To reduce fungal infections, packing centers use fungicide solution mixtures to prevent infections that occur during harvest and then during storage. The most common fungal pathogens of citrus are commonly treated with the fungicides imazalil, Pyrimethanil due to their effectiveness in controlling these pathogens at low cost and ease of handling. However, little is known about how it alters tissues in citrus physiology. In this study we will investigate the behavior and retention of imazalil and pyrimethanil in the tissues of the red grapefruit fruit (peel and core before washing and after washing with hot water and simple dish detergent). This work demonstrates a viable approach for assessing the quality of citrus fruits, and we can even proceed to thoroughly wash each fruit before consumption, as we remove a quantity of residue. This work demonstrates that the treatment affects the citrus tissues and the substances migrate throughout the pulp, although the treatment was applied to the peel. Washing, which is the first step in food processing on a domestic and industrial scale, helps to reduce pesticide residues on the fruit surface. In this study, the effectiveness of washing the peel was also investigated. Although many chemicals are applied to citrus to prevent certain diseases or control pests, there is little literature available on how these treatments alter the physiology of the fruit. Usually, the packaging only analyzes the level of treatments on the products."

Complementing Food and Nutrition Security Using Toxin Minimizing Dry Chain and Integrated Pest Management: A Review

Global programs are involved to improve food and nutrition security in the low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Increasing agrobiodiversity by maintaining local genetic resources has been proposed to achieve food and nutrition security. However, technology to maintain local germplasms/seed stocks are not available to the smallholders. This inability to save seeds translates into 25% annual low moisture food losses to rainfall/floods. As moisture builds up in improperly stored foods, insects, and carcinogenic molds proliferate along with nutrient loss. A dry chain (drying and moisture-proof packaging) could minimize these losses and even enable disaster resiliency. About 40% high moisture foods (fruits and vegetables) are lost due to lack of the cold chain facilities. Additionally, most people in the LMICs ingest artificial toxins daily through high moisture foods due to improper pesticide use. The prevalence of health compromising food toxins in nutritious foods has been complicating malnutrition alleviation efforts in the LMICs. Adopting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies followed by sensitive monitoring could reduce pesticide residues to CODEX standards and enable healthy food systems. A way forward to achieve quality food and nutrition security in the post-Covid-19 era with a particular reference to LMICs like Nepal is presented.

Urinary concentrations and determinants of pyrethroid metabolites in pregnant women from non-rural areas of Yunnan, China.

The study assesses the levels of urinary pyrethroid pesticide (PYR) in women during early pregnancy. The factors associated with exposure are also determined. A total of 480 pregnant women from non-rural areas visiting hospital for prenatal examination during early pregnancy were enrolled. A self-designed, structured questionnaire was used to collect data on potential factors of PYR exposure. Urinary PYR metabolite levels were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The majority of urine samples (98.8%) contained one or more PYR metabolite, although only a few women self-reported pesticide exposure. Urinary 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3PBA) levels were close to those reported in certain developed countries. However, the levels of 3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (DBCA) and 4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid (4F3PBA) were higher than those reported in previous studies. Urinary PYR levels were positively associated with exposure to pesticides, consumption of bananas and oranges, the number of fruit types the women regularly ate, being multiparous, and cooked frequently. They were negatively associated with early pregnancy body mass index (BMI), unemployment, frequent intake of apples, and washing fruits and vegetables with soda or hot water. Pregnant women in non-rural areas were extensively exposed to low levels of PYRs. Dietary intake may be the primary pathway of exposure. The presented findings highlight the importance of using appropriate methods to reduce pesticide residues in food.

Comparison of chrysanthemum flowers grown under hydroponic and soil-based systems: yield and transcriptome analysis

BackgroundFlowers of Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. are used as tea in traditional Chinese cuisine. However, with increasing population and urbanization, water and land availability have become limiting for chrysanthemum tea production. Hydroponic culture enables effective, rapid nutrient exchange, while requiring no soil and less water than soil cultivation. Hydroponic culture can reduce pesticide residues in food and improve the quantity or size of fruits, flowers, and leaves, and the levels of active compounds important for nutrition and health. To date, studies to improve the yield and active compounds of chrysanthemum have focused on soil culture. Moreover, the molecular effects of hydroponic and soil culture on chrysanthemum tea development remain understudied.ResultsHere, we studied the effects of soil and hydroponic culture on yield and total flavonoid and chlorogenic acid contents in chrysanthemum flowers (C. morifolium ‘wuyuanhuang’). Yield and the total flavonoids and chlorogenic acid contents of chrysanthemum flowers were higher in the hydroponic culture system than in the soil system. Transcriptome profiling using RNA-seq revealed 3858 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between chrysanthemum flowers grown in soil and hydroponic conditions. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment annotation revealed that these differentially transcribed genes are mainly involved in “cytoplasmic part”, “biosynthetic process”, “organic substance biosynthetic process”, “cell wall organization or biogenesis” and other processes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed enrichment in “metabolic pathways”, “biosynthesis of secondary metabolites”, “ribosome”, “carbon metabolism”, “plant hormone signal transduction” and other metabolic processes. In functional annotations, pathways related to yield and formation of the main active compounds included phytohormone signaling, secondary metabolism, and cell wall metabolism. Enrichment analysis of transcription factors also showed that under the hydroponic system, bHLH, MYB, NAC, and ERF protein families were involved in metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and plant hormone signal transduction.ConclusionsHydroponic culture is a simple and effective way to cultivate chrysanthemum for tea production. A transcriptome analysis of chrysanthemum flowers grown in soil and hydroponic conditions. The large number of DEGs identified confirmed the difference of the regulatory machinery under two culture system.

Evaluation of rice production towards VietGAP standards in the Mekong delta

The study, conducted in threeecological sub-regions (flood, alluvial, and acid sulphate zones) in the Mekong delta region, aims to evaluate the efficiency of VietGAP practice to benefit, safe food and environment in paddy production. The research was demonstrated in three cooperatives, including Tan Cuong cooperative, Tam Nong district, Dong Thap province (flood zone);Khiet Tam cooperative, Vinh Thanh district, Can Tho city (alluvial zone); and Phuoc Trung cooperative, Chau Thanh A district, Hau Giang province (acid sulphate zone). At each cooperative, the rice VietGAP model (1 ha) was compared with the rice traditional model (1 ha) and collected the field diary record of 30 rice VietGAP model households and 30 rice traditional model households. Data were collected, analysed for evaluating technical, financial, and environmental effects. The results showed that applying VietGAP standards in paddy production obtained many benefits such as decreasing seed rate, fertiliser application, and pesticide use, and increasing rice yield by 2%. The profit of farmers applying VietGAP standards was raised by 28% compared to farmers not following the VietGAP practices. Thanks to reducing the number of times spraying pesticides, it reduced pesticide residues in rice grain, soil, and water at the end of the crop. Thus, rice production in the direction of VietGAP can increase profit, safe food and environment.

Sulfur deficiency exacerbates phytotoxicity and residues of imidacloprid through suppression of thiol-dependent detoxification in lettuce seedlings

Sulfur, an essential macronutrient, plays important roles in plant development and stress mitigation. Sulfur deficiency, a common problem in agricultural soils, may disturb plant stress resistance and xenobiotic detoxification. In the present study, the function and mechanism of limited sulfur nutrition on the residues and phtotoxicity of imidacloprid were investigated in lettuce plants. Sulfur deficiency significantly increased imidacloprid accumulation in lettuce tissues, exacerbated imidacloprid biological toxicity by enhancing the accumulation of toxic metabolites, like imidacloprid-olefin. Simultaneously, imidacloprid-induced detoxification enzymes including cytochromes P450, glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and glycosyltransferases were inhibited under limited sulfur supply. On the other hand, sulfur deficiency further enhanced the generation of reactive oxygen species and exacerbated lipid peroxidation in lettuce tissues. Sulfur deficiency mainly reduced the abundance of thiol groups, which are essential redox modulators as well as xenobiotic conjugators, and significantly inhibited GSTs expression. These results clearly suggested that sulfur deficiency inhibited the synthesis of sulfur-containing compounds, leading to increased accumulation of pesticide residues and toxic metabolites as well as reduced detoxification capacity, consequently leading to oxidative damage to plants. Therefore, moderate sulfur supply in regions where neonicotinoid insecticides are intensively and indiscriminately used may be an efficient strategy to reduce pesticide residues and the potential risk to ecosystem.

Experimental Study on Mixing Uniformity of Injection On-Line Mixer of Crop Protection Equipment

In order to promote pesticide application reduction and efficiency enhancement, to avoid the direct mixing of pesticides caused by secondary pollution and life safety risksand, further improve the mixing uniformity of on-line mixing system of crop protection equipment. The numerical simulation on structural parameters and fluid parameters of the mixer was performed by the CFD method to determine the best structural parameters of the mixer. And an injection online mixing system experiment platform was built. The experiments were carried out by high speed photography and spectrophotometry respectively. The experimental results show as following: The variable mixing ratio experiment was carried out in the case of pure reagents mixing test in the mixer. When the water flow is 140 L/min and the pesticide pressure is 1 MPa, the ratio of pesticide solution is controlled in the range of 1:300 ~ 1:3000, and the images of pesticide entering the mixer are collected respectively. The results of image analysis and processing show that the online mixing system has good mixing performance in qualitative analysis. When the mixing ratio is 1:300 to 1:300 and the normal pressure of pesticide is 0.1 MPa, the maximum mixing uniformity variation coefficient of the pesticide solution is 6.87%. When the mixing ratio is 1:300, the minimum mixing uniformity coefficient is 3.33%. It is proved that the overall trend of mixing uniformity variation coefficient increases with the increase of mixing ratio when the pesticide is mixed at normal pressure. When mixing under pressure, the mixing uniformity coefficient of variation is less than 5% and the maximum is 3.903%, which indicates that the mixing uniformity of the mixer is well when mixing under pressure. The results can improve pesticide utilization, safety of plant protection, reduce secondary pollution and reduce pesticide residues. Through the qualitative analysis of high-speed photography, it is found that the drug mixer has good time and space distribution uniformity in the process of drug mixing. The quantitative detection of spectrophotometry shows that the drug liquid has good time and space distribution uniformity after passing through the mixer. The conclusion of this paper has certain guiding function and reference value for plant protection technology and liquid on-line mixing in chemical and pharmaceutical fields.

Enhanced removal of fifteen pesticide mixture by a single bacterial strain using response surface methodology and its application in raw milk.

Environmental contamination with various pesticides accompanied by uncontrolled use contributes to severe ecological and health problems. Although extensive research was conducted on pesticides degradation, very few reports have demonstrated the degradation of mixed pesticides. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the removal efficacy of highly potent bacterial isolate for pesticide mixture under optimal culture conditions, followed by their application in milk. Isolation and selection of bacterial isolates were performed from 40 milk samples by enrichment culture technique and were screened to obtain highly potent bacterial strain identified by 16 S rDNA analysis. The statistics-based experimental designs were applied to optimize the culture conditions towards the best degradation of pesticides mixture, followed by subsequent utilization in milk. The degradation ratio of pesticides was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In this study, a bacterial strain S6A identified as Bacillus subtilis-mw1 efficiently eliminated environmental contaminants from different groups of pesticide residues. The statistical optimization showcased optimum settings that accomplished the highest pesticide mixture degradation (61.59 %). The application experiment manifested that degradation of pesticide mixtures of sterile milk (STM) was relatively faster than non-sterile milk (NSTM). The obtained results assist in eliminating environmental contamination with various groups of pesticide residues. Furthermore, it can be employed in reducing pesticide residues that cause milk contamination to increase safety and quality.Graphical abstract. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-021-00683-0.

Awareness on Pesticide Residues – Special Reference With Farmers

The quality of agricultural products is closely related to pesticide residues. Pesticide residues. The threat of pesticide residues not only depends on the quality and specificity of pesticides but also on farmers' awareness of pesticide residues and their behaviour in applying these pesticides. Farmers ‘will safely apply pesticides and their impacts. Agricultural safety and the resulting environmental and health problems from pesticide application are increasingly attracting global attention. Pesticide residues affect the quality of agricultural goods. Chemical pesticides play an irreplaceable role in ensuring the adequate production of foods. Pesticide residues affect human health. In fact, pesticide application has become a great threat to human health. Biomedical and Environmental Sciences Studies have shown that long-term low-dose exposure to pesticides leads to the development of respiratory diseases such as asthma. Chemical predictors of wheeze among farmer pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Such exposure also leads to reduced sperm quality and sperm count, causing sterility. Impacts of pesticide use on semen characteristics among rice farmers in Kienxuong District, Thaibinh Province, Vietnam. Farmers serve as the main unit of pesticide application. Hence, their degree of awareness of pesticide residues inherently affects their methods of pesticide application. Whether they apply pesticides in a standardized method affects the generated amount of pesticide residues, thereby ultimately influencing the safe production of agricultural products. Awareness of the danger of excessive pesticide residues, Awareness of standardized regulations in order to reduce pesticide residues improves the positive result. If a farmer is relatively less educated, his/her ability to absorb professional knowledge is weaker. Furthermore, his/her capability to recognize pest diseases is also weaker. Hence, the less-educated farmer tends to lack awareness of both pesticide residues and the importance of applying pesticides in standardized ways. Consequently, with less education, there is a higher chance that the farmer will apply prohibited pesticides excessively, leading to highly concentrated pesticide residues.

Investigation of the effects of household processing on the reduction rate of chlorpyrifos, metalaxyl and diazinon residues in orange fruit

Summary The effect of the household processing on the reduction rate of chlorpyrifos, metalaxyl and diazinon residues in contaminated oranges has been investigated and the processing factors were determined. The evaluation included validation parameters, matrix effect (ME %), reduction behavior and processing factors (PFs). Validation parameters were successfully applied; the three pesticides showed satisfactory recovery (70–120%) and precision (relative standard deviation - RSD<20%); they also exhibited no matrix effect. The most effective process in the pesticide residues reduction was juicing, followed by pulping while the washing process was less efficient in removing all pesticide residues; sonication showed a high reduction rate with both chlorpyrifos and diazinon. The processing factors (PFs) were generally less than one which indicates that all processes can reduce pesticide residues in oranges. The results could guide the safe and reasonable use of chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and metalaxyl. These processes contribute substantially to reduce consumer exposure to pesticide residues in oranges.

The use of hedgerows to mitigate pesticide exposure of a population living in a rural area.

Farmer populations living in houses inside vegetable gardens are exposed to indoor pesticide pollution. The pulverization drift and volatile pesticides transported by wind are important sources of indoor pollution, which can be mitigated by hedgerows. This study was the first attempt in Brazil to investigate the efficiency of six different hedgerow species in reducing pesticide residues in air. A fluorescent compound (p-aminobenzoic acid or PABA) was introduced in the sprayed pesticide fluid that traced the pesticide in the water. Samples were collected in Petri dishes positioned on stakes at different heights in front of and behind the hedgerows. Data indicated barrier efficiency of up to 99%. Simulation of nontarget drift contamination with herbicide concentrations exhibited reduced senescence effects on leaves and posed no threat to survival. Hedgerows are feasible, simple, and inexpensive techniques, which may be used easily by farmers, independent of external support and efficiently mitigating indoor pesticide pollution, thus protecting human health. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:19-24. © 2021 SETAC.

Residue changes and processing factors of eighteen field-applied pesticides during the production of Chinese Baijiu from rice

The fate of eighteen pesticides in field-collected rice samples during Chinese Baijiu production was systematically studied. The results indicated that steeping decreased flonicamid residue by 73.2% due to its high water-solubility and low octanol/water partition coefficient. The steaming step reduced pesticide residues by 32.0%–75.3% through evaporation or thermal degradation. After steaming, the pesticide residues were further reduced by 39.8–74.2% in fermentation which might be caused by biological degradation. In addition, distillation was shown to be most effective, responsible for greater than 90% losses of the remaining pesticide residues. The processing factors (PFs) were generally lower than 1 for different processes and the whole procedure. These results revealed that the procedure of Chinese Baijiu production could dramatically decrease residues of all the eighteen pesticides. Overall, this study provide important references for monitoring pesticide residue levels during the production of Chinese Baijiu from rice, and ensuring proper risk assessment from pesticide contamination.

Reduction of Chlorpyrifos Residues in 'Super Hot' Chili (Capsicum annuum L.) Fruit Using Washing Agents

The load of pesticide residues in fresh produce poses risks to food safety and human health. The reduction of pesticide residues on 'Super Hot' red chilis was determined using various washing agents. Freshly-harvested red chilis were exogenously applied with 100 μL L–1 chlorpyrifos for 5 min and air-dried overnight. Fresh chilis were washed with distilled water, 0.1% CH3COOH, 0.001% KMnO4, 1.0% NaCl, 0.1% NaHCO3, or 0.02% NaOCl for 20 min and stored in ambient room conditions (31 ± 1 °C and 65 ± 11% RH) for 4 d. In another experiment, chilis were washed with distilled water, 0.001% KMnO4 or 0.1% NaHCO3, and dried in a hot air oven at 50 °C for 24 h. Thereafter, the pesticide residues and quality of fresh and dried chilis were evaluated. The fruit washed with 0.001% KMnO4 had the lowest toxicity of chlorpyrifos. In terms of quality, fresh chili washed with NaOCl, NaHCO3, and KMnO4 had lower weight loss, better visual quality, and less shriveling. The use of 1% NaCl promoted decay. All washing agents did not affect the firmness and surface color of fresh chili. Drying itself reduced the degree of toxicity of pesticide residues whether it was washed with the washing agents or unwashed. Chilis washed with either distilled water or NaHCO3 and then dried resulted in a higher extractable color and lower occurrence of non-enzymatic browning. The use of 0.001% KMnO4 as a washing agent for 20 min can best reduce residues from chlorpyrifos applied 4 d earlier in fresh chili, and hot air oven-drying was able to reduce the residues further.

Probiotics as potential detoxification tools for mitigation of pesticides: a mini review

SummaryPesticides play a key role in agriculture and food production by controlling the insects, weeds, plant pathogens and microbial contaminations. Although they are useful in some aspects, their inappropriate application can induce health problems including carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, neurodegenerative diseases and disruption of endocrine system. In this respect, efficient strategies should be applied to reduce pesticide residue in foodstuffs. Several methods have been proposed in food processing for reduction of pesticides residue. Recently, detoxification via microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria and probiotics has been extensively studied and degradation of pesticides through hydrolytic enzymes has been introduced as the possible mechanism and it has been highlighted that some probiotics harbour pesticide‐degrading genes. The aim of this review is to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in detoxification of pesticides.

Fine-bubble technology application for pesticide-removal effect in ‘Gros Michel’ banana (Musa acuminata ‘Gros Michel’)

‘Gros Michel’ bananas are among highly exported agricultural product in Thailand. Their cultivation involves several pesticide applications to meet consumer satisfaction. In several countries, pesticide residues found in the bananas may result in rejection and further banned the imported products which may affect export income of Thailand. Therefore, it is important to reduce the level of the pesticide residue to meet Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of fine-bubble technology on commonly used pesticides, chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin, in banana fruits. The contact times, 15, 30, 60, and 90 minutes, and types of gas, air and ozone, used for microbubble generation were also studied. Pesticide removal effect of fine-bubble technology which was first screened using GPO-TM kits, a test kit for pesticide detection. The findings revealed that both organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides were not detected after 30 minutes contact time when treated with fine-bubbles regardless of the gas type. Air microbubble treatment was chosen for further quantitative analysis using gas chromatography (GC). In comparison to the unwashed products (Control), air microbubble application lessened chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin by 80% and 72%, respectively. Even though fine-bubble technology successfully reduced pesticide residue in banana fruits, modes of action require further investigation.

Coupling between laser irradiation and TiO2 nanoparticles on efficient decontamination of some pesticide's residues from orange and tomato puree

In this paper, we focused on the development of photocatalytic degradation to be a promising method for the treatment of decontaminated fruits and vegetables with pesticides. We investigate the coupling between Laser irradiation with TiO2 nanoparticles catalyst in order to study the photocatalytic degradation of metalaxyl, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon from artificially contaminated tomato puree and orange puree. Degradation products were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The influences of different parameters such as catalyst concentration, irradiation time on the reaction rate were ascertained and optimum conditions for maximum degradation were determined. The degradation percentage of all pesticides was achieved under optimized conditions (1g/L catalyst at the irradiation time of 120 min). The study proved that the coupling between TiO2 nanoparticles and laser irradiation has a high potential for photocatalytic degradation of diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and metalaxyl from orange puree and tomato puree. And also, proved that the efficient degradation of pesticide residues increased with an increase in laser irradiation time (for 60 min) and catalyst (TiO2nanoparticles) dosage in all experiments. Maximum reduction >80% was observed in diazinon in all puree treatments. The processing factor (PFs) was generally less than one which indicates that all processes can reduce pesticide residues in all puree treatments. The less efficient removal of pesticides residues from all treatments without Laser irradiation (dark TiO2100mg) We concluded that the optimum conditions for the photodegradation of diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and metalaxyl in all puree treatments were TiO2100mg catalyst concentration and after 60 min of laser irradiation.

Dissipation of Pesticide Residues on Grapes and Strawberries Using Plasma-Activated Water

In this study, we present a novel atmospheric air plasma discharge for the generation of plasma-activated water (PAW), with the aim of reducing pesticide residues on fresh fruit. For this purpose, a large discharge volume pin-to-plate cold plasma reactor was employed. The pesticide-spiked grapes and strawberries were processed with varying PAW concentrations to study their efficacies for pesticide degradation combined with an evaluation of any induced changes in key nutritional and quality attributes. The results suggest that the reduction of chlorpyrifos was 79% on grapes and 69% on strawberries while that of carbaryl was 86% on grapes and 73% on strawberries, respectively. The degradation of pesticides in PAW is due to the generation of metastable reactive species including nitrates, nitrites, and hydrogen peroxide. The high oxidation potential and acidic environment of this PAW are proposed as important actors for pesticide dissipation. In addition to the effective pesticide reductions obtained, there were no significant changes in the key physical attributes (color and firmness) of the treated samples and only slight changes in the ascorbic acid levels observed for both strawberries and grapes. This study points to the effective potential of PAW for chemical decontamination of fruit while maintaining important quality and nutritional parameters.

Transfer assessment of carbendazim residues from rapeseed to oil production determined by HPLC–MS/MS

It is crucial to develop practical procedures for the control and reduction of pesticide residues in oil productions from farm to dining table. In this study, the dissipation behaviors of typical fungicide from rapeseed to oil production were studied to reveal relationship among spraying stage, application dosage, household oil processing stage, and pesticide residues. In the field trials, rape plants were sprayed with carbendazim at three different dosages during flowering period. Transfer assessment of carbendazim residues from rapeseed to oil production during household oil processing via different press techniques was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS). The recoveries of carbendazim in rapeseed samples, meals after squeezing samples, and rapeseed oil samples ranged from 82.5% to 93.6% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ＜5.2%. The validation results illustrated that the methods were reliable and sensitive. The average processing factor (PF) during household oil processing via hot press technique and cold press technique was 0.15 and 0.51, respectively. This study demonstrated that household oil processing could significantly reduce the pesticide residues, especially by hot press technique.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of pesticide use and serum cholinesterase levels among rice farmers in Nakhon Nayok Province, Thailand

PurposeThe study purposes were to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice of pesticide use and to determine the levels of serum cholinesterase among rice farmers in Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study was carried out in communities in Nakhon Nayok Province, Thailand. Multistage random sampling was employed, selecting one person per each rice farmer household. Data was collected from 188 rice farmers using a structured face-to-face interview questionnaire. A reactive-paper finger-blood test was used to determine SChE levels. Chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between the practice of pesticide use and SChE levels.FindingsThe results indicated that the rice farmers had a fairly good knowledge and a neutral attitude toward the practice of pesticide use. Most of the respondents had a fairly proper practice of pesticide use. However, serum cholinesterase levels of the farmers were unsafe and risky. It signified that 68.1% of the farmers had a health risk from using pesticides. The prevalence of abnormal SChE levels among rice farmers with improper use was significantly higher than that among rice farmers who had a proper use.Research limitations/implicationsThe result provided a guideline for operational planning and control and prevention of health effects from pesticides use in farmers or other agriculturists who use pesticides in cultivation.Practical implicationsConcerned local agencies especially health-related agencies are able to conduct a training to educate and build safety awareness including monitoring continuously the safety behaviors toward pesticides use. It can be implemented by establishing leaders from health promoting hospitals led by village health volunteers, community leaders and participation from farmers to collaboratively monitor proper use of pesticides beginning with health surveillance in the abnormal SChE group to be screened for pesticide exposure every six months or one year.Social implicationsFarmers gained knowledge and understanding of pesticides use and used it properly, which resulted in a reduction of pesticide residues in body as well as in the environment. In addition, the government policy should legislate measures for related agencies to promote proper use of pesticides. For instance, Department of Agriculture, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives should regularly supervise, monitor and inspect the production and distribution of pesticides in local shops and also systematically encourage agriculturists to adopt using pesticides that are less harmful.Originality/valueHaving knowledge, understanding and proper practices toward pesticides use, farmers can reduce health effects of pesticides use in themselves and family members.