Abstract:
Although pesticides were used to protect agricultural products and are safe when used appropriately, however, they can become serious health problem when misused. This study aimed at detecting the presence of pesticide residues in some agricultural crops which are widely consumed in Benghazi city, and assessing the health risks of these residues. Methods: One kilogram of five samples of vegetables (cucumbers, Jalu tomatoes, Benghazi tomatoes, squash, eggplant) were randomly collected from the Benghazi local market in three different time periods. They were then transported and analyzed to the lab on the same day to detect the presence of pesticide residues using the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique. Results: The result showed that one pesticide residue (2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) was observed in tomatoes and eggplants in two of the three periods. The highest value was found in eggplant (1.28 and 0.7 ppm) and the lowest in tomatoes (0.525, and 0.5 ppm), in the first and second periods, respectively. Conversely, all samples in third period were free from the studied pesticides, or that the presence of these pesticides was less than the detection limit of the device used. Additionally, the results showed that the value of the long-term hazard quotient (HQ) for residue consumption of the pesticide (2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) was higher in the case of 39 eggplant consumption in both males (39.7%) and females (47.0%). While the values of chronic risk index (cHI) were 102.5% for males and 121.45% for females, the values of acute risk index (aHI) were below the marginal value in both genders. Therefore, there were no acute health problems that may result from consumption of the highest dose of this pesticide in only one time. Conclusion: This study suggested that there may be long-term (chronic) health problems from consumed vegetables marketing a locally in Benghazi city and contaminated with agricultural pesticides. This requires immediate and strict measures during the use and application of these pesticides in agriculture
