The distributions of three fungicides in vegetables and their potential health risks in Zhejiang, China: A 3-year study (2015-2017)

Fungicides have been extensively used around the world in agriculture due to their effectiveness of sterilization. Recent evidences have shown that fungicides would exert a negative effect on gut microbiota and result in gut microbiota dysbiosis and metabolism disorder on non-target organisms and even humans. However, research on residues and potential health risks of fungicides in daily consumed vegetables has received less attention compared to insecticides. In this study, we studied three widely applied fungicides, procymidone, dimethomorph, and azoxystrobin, in China. We collected 551 samples of 10 different vegetables in 11 cities from Zhejiang province during 2015-2017. Three fungicides were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The average apparent recoveries of three fungicides ranged from 84.2% to 110% with the relative standard deviations lower than 10%. The LOD values of procymidone, dimethomorph, and azoxystrobin was 2, 0.09, and 1 μg/kg, respectively. The levels of procymidone, dimethomorph, and azoxystrobin in those vegetables ranged from ND-875, ND-238, and ND-76 μg/kg, respectively. The highest mean concentrations of procymidone, dimethomorph, and azoxystrobin were found in eggplant (68 μg/kg), spinach (16.4 μg/kg), and kidney bean (4 μg/kg), respectively. Tomato (62.6% of samples), eggplant (44.3% of samples), and cucumber (41.6% of samples) were most frequently detected with fungicides. Solanaceous fruit vegetables have the highest detection rate than other vegetables, and fungicides were most frequently detected in winter. The mean concentrations of three fungicides in different vegetables were all below the maximum residue limits for the national food safety standards of China, and the health risks resulting from consuming those vegetables in adults and children were all within the safe ranges. The data provided here clarify the distributions of fungicides in commonly consumed vegetables and their potential health risks.

Keywords: Fungicides; Health risks; Residue; Vegetable.