Hygienic regulations for the safe application of combined pesticides in the cereal crops` chemical protection system

Abstract

The aim: Hazard characterization and assessment of combined exposure to several pesticides when they simultaneously get to the human body with bakery products. Materials and methods: Methods of analytical analysis of the range of pesticide active substances, which are registered and used in modern systems of grain crop protection in Ukraine, were used in the study. Normative documents of national legislation on hygienic regulation of pesticides and methodological approaches to assessing the combined effects of pesticide mixtures in food products serve as materials for assessment. Results: It is established that the total risk of exposure to residual amounts of pesticides in bread products (wheat and rye bread) during its comparable getting into the body was 0.59 for children 2-6 years and 0.36 - for adults, with an allowable value of ≤ 1.0. The combined effect of pesticides per unit of children’s body weight is higher, but also lies within acceptable limits. The largest contribution to the overall risk of combined exposure to triazoles is made by flutriafol (38.5-47.0%), which in the future may be the basis for substantiating measures to reduce such exposure and make appropriate management decisions. Conclusions: Safety of consumption of agricultural products is ensured by strict following hygienic regulations for the pesticide application (application rates, frequency of treatments, pre-harvest intervals), which makes it impossible to accumulate their residual amounts in food. Triazole pesticides, widely used in almost all crop protection systems, pose a potential risk of adverse health effects due to additive or synergistic effects.