Exposure Assessment of Young Adults to Pesticides That Have Effects on the Thyroid—A Contribution to “One Health”

Abstract

The objective of this research was to evaluate the cumulative exposure of the population aged 10–24 years to pesticides that have a chronic effect on the thyroid. A consumption study covering fresh fruits and vegetables was collected from 377 respondents. In parallel, 2369 fruit and vegetable samples were chemically analyzed for pesticide residues. As a result, cumulative exposure was calculated for four different scenarios (as is, maximum residue level, 70% of MRL and below detection limit) using two recall methods. The results show that, depending on the scenario, cyprodinil from green lettuce and strawberries, fluopyram blueberries and strawberries, and fluxapyroxad, detected in grapes, contribute most to exposure. More stringent scenarios, with limits at 70% of the MRLs (0.7 MRL) and below the detection limit (“zero residue” approach), show that the estimated total margin of exposure increases by up to 50% in the “0.7 MRL” model, while levels almost triple in the “zero residue” model. The optimization of pesticide use has a beneficial effect on human health and the environment, contributing to the “One Health” approach.

Keywords

• cumulative health effect
• plant protection products
• fruits and vegetables
• “zero residue” concept
• margin of exposure
• sustainable approach