ANALYSIS OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN VEGETABLES COLLECTED FROM DIFFERENT MARKETS OF DHAKA

Abstract

The study was conducted to analyze pesticide residues in three common vegetables (country bean, cauliflower and cucumber) collected from five different areas (Banani, Rampura, Mohammadpur, Kawran Bazar and Jatrabari) of Dhaka city from January 2016 to September 2016. The collected samples were analyzed using Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction technique and Gas Chromatography (GC) coupled with Flame Thermionized Detector (FTD) for the determination of pesticide residues in 50 samples of country bean, 30 samples of cauliflower and 20 samples of cucumber. Among the 50 analyzed samples of country bean, 10 samples (20%) contained residues of Dimethoate and Quinalphos of which 5 samples were above the maximum residue limits (MRLs). Out of 30 samples of cauliflower, 5 samples (16.67%) contained residues of Chlorpyrifos, Quinalphos, Acephate and Dimethoate, where 4 samples contained multiple pesticide residues. All the contaminated samples of cauliflower contained residue above MRL. On the other hand, among the 20 samples of cucumber, only 2 samples (10%) contained residue of Quinalphos and Chlorpyrifos, but the level of residue was below the MRL. Dimethoate was detected in most of the contaminated country bean sample, while Chlorpyrifos and Quinalphos were detected mostly in cauliflower and cucumber. This study reflects the overall scenario of pesticide contamination in vegetables specially in country bean, cauliflower and cucumber available in the local markets of Dhaka city, which will help the consumer to be aware of their health and safety.