Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Seafood Using LC-MS/MS.

Area of Science:

• Food safety analysis
• Environmental monitoring
• Toxicology

Background:

• Pesticide contamination in seafood is a growing concern.
• Monitoring residue levels is crucial for public health.
• Understanding potential risks from commonly consumed seafood is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To monitor 161 pesticides and 37 metabolites in Korean seafood.
• To assess potential human health risks associated with pesticide residues.
• To analyze pesticide contamination in cephalopods, crustaceans, seaweeds, and shellfish.

Main Methods:

• Collected 696 seafood samples from local markets in the Republic of Korea.
• Analyzed samples for pesticide residues using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
• Calculated estimated daily intake (EDI) and percentage of acceptable daily intake (%ADI).

Main Results:

• Pesticide residues were detected in shrimp, abalone, clam, marsh clam, dried laver, dried sea lettuce, and fresh sea mustard.
• Seaweed exhibited the highest detection rate (8.5%), with diuron at 0.05 mg/kg.
• All calculated %ADI values were below 0.7%, indicating low exposure levels.

Conclusions:

• Seafood consumption in the Republic of Korea poses a low risk to human health regarding pesticide residues.
• Detected pesticide levels in analyzed seafood are within safe limits.
• Continued monitoring of pesticide residues in seafood is recommended.