Biomonitoring Equivalents for select neonicotinoids

Neonicotinoids and neonicotinoid-like pesticides (NNs) are insecticides widely used around the globe in agriculture and residential settings. The general public may be exposed to NN in a variety of ways including consuming food treated with these pesticides or contacting treated pets. Exposures to NNs can be assessed by using measured data for parent compounds or metabolic breakdown products in urine. In this evaluation, we review available health-based risk assessments and acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) to derive Biomonitoring Equivalents (BE) for interpretation of population biomonitoring data for acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, sulfoxaflor and thiamethoxam. BEs were derived based on existing ADIs established by Health Canada. We determined the most appropriate biomarker(s) associated with exposures to each NN based on availability of existing pharmacokinetic. For each parent NN, we chose one to three appropriate biomarkers of exposure and derived BEs accordingly. The BE values derived in this manuscript can serve as a guide to help public health officials and regulators interpret population-based biomonitoring data for the selected NNs in a public health risk context.