Risk Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Organic Waste in Northeast Thailand
2011 Volume 2 Issue 1 Pages 49-53
Details
2011 Volume 2 Issue 1 Pages 49-53
The objective of this study aims to monitor pesticide residues in organic waste in Northeast Thailand. Pesticides are widely used in agriculture and trade of agricultural products to increase agricultural yield and to protect plants from diseases, weeds and insect damage. The increasing use of pesticides has significantly increased crop contamination and human health hazard. On the Thai markets, fruit and vegetables have high risk for pesticide contamination. Uneatable and unusable parts of these goods transform to a fraction of organic waste. The quantity of waste in terms of solid waste from Northeast Thailand was 11,820 tons/day and over 50 % was organic waste. Composting (such as compost, biological fermentation fertilizer) and animal feed are conventional methods to manage waste from vegetables and fruit in Northeast Thailand. However, the risk assessment of pesticide residue in organic waste should be studied and taken into consideration for environmental safety and human health. A total of 22 pesticides from different chemical groups (organochlorine, organophosphate and pyrethroid) in the different organic wastes collected from the markets in Khon Kaen provinces, in the Northeast of Thailand, were monitored in the rainy and winter season in the year 2010 by gas chromatography with electron capture detector (ECD) and flame photometric detector (FPD). Pesticide residues were found in organic waste. The most frequently found pesticides were cypermethrin followed by chlorpyrifos deltametrhrin and lambda-cyhalothrin, respectively ranging from 0.044 to 2.608 mg kg-1. Pesticide residue in organic waste was found to be higher in the winter season than in the rainy season. Pesticide residue was found higher in cabbages followed by kale, lettuce and corn peel, respectively. Therefore, a monitoring program for pesticide residues and a risk assessment study in organic waste are needed for protection of human's health and the environment.
