Comprehensive toxicological multi-year study on pesticides in apples: Control, trends and dietary risk assessment

Apples are one of the most widely consumed raw fruit worldwide. Due to multiple sprayings during the growing season, they can contain pesticide residues affecting quality of food and human health. The novelty of the present study was a comprehensive multi-year control of a broad spectrum of pesticides in apples (2006-2022) and dietary risk assessment with changing toxicological values: ADI/ARfD/MRL. Long/short-term exposure for the EU critical sub-populations were calculated by EFSA model. A 17-year monitoring indicated 64.2 % of 1223 samples contained residues and MRL exceedances 3.4 %. A total of 57 active substances were identified (0.01-0.34 mg/kg). The most frequently detected were fungicides (captan, dithiocarbamates) and insecticides (acetamiprid, metoxyfenozide). Chronic exposure showed residues pose no risk to human health. Acute risk up to 840.7 % ARfD children and up to 219 % of ARfD for adults for indoxacarb and lambda-cyhalothrin was observed. Comprehensive toxicological data identified potential dietary risk to public health.