DIETARY INTAKE OF SOME ORGANOPHOSPHOURS INSECTICIDES IN SOME VEGETABLE CROPS IN EGYPT, A PRELIMINARY CASE STUDY

A Total of 178 samples of commonly consumed vegetables were collected from seven different Egyptian governorates in 2007 and onward. A multiresidue method was used for analysis and the pesticides determined by gas chromatography. The Twenty nine organophosphorus (OP) pesticides were tested with validated analytical method using Gas chromatography, GC-NPD. Overall, 87% of the vegetables samples had no detectable organophosphorus pesticides. Of the analysed samples, 13.5% contained detectable residues, of which 4.5% exceeded MRL’s.The obtained monitoring results showed that 4 out of 29 organophosphorus pesticides were detected in the analysed vegetable samples. The frequencies and percentages of detected residues were chlorpyrifos detected in 12 samples with percentage 6.7 % followed by profenofos detected in 11 samples with percentage 6.2%, then ethion and chlorpyrifos-Me detected in 3 and 2 samples with percentages 1.7%, 1.1% respectively. Risk assessments were also performed by calculating estimated daily intake (EDI) comparing the figures with acceptable daily intake (ADI). The intakes of OP pesticides were generally lower than 100% of the Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs). Tomato is the most vegetables contribution of the highest OP intake. The highest intake was that of profenofos 59.62 ug/ person followed by chlorpyrifos 55.62 ug/person, chlorpyrifos-Me, 15.34 ug/person and then ethion 12.98 ug/person, based on GEMS/food consumption rate.