抄録
The rapid economic growth of Thailand has resulted in a rapid increase in the demand for agricultural production which has in turn led to the increased use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Recent increases in pesticide application may cause environmental pollution problems in the Bangkok metropolitan area and the surrounding provinces. This study was conducted to investigate if environmental problems could be caused by the pesticide residues. We collected information about pesticides used in Thailand from a pesticide company in Bangkok and from farmers in suburban agricultural fields. Based on this information, soil samples were collected in the Nakhon Pathom province, a vegetable production area on the west side of Bangkok, and pesticide residues in these samples were analyzed. Pesticide residue analyses were carried out at the Central Laboratory (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in Bangkok by the in-house method based on the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method or a standard method. We focused on insecticides because of their relatively higher toxicity than that of herbicides and fungicides. In most sampling sites except in a sweet potato field, no or only a small amount of pesticides were detected. In the sweet potato field, significant amount of pesticides was detected, but analysis after 5 months showed that pesticide residue concentrations were much lower than those of previous residues. The results of this study show that, as of yet, pesticide residues are not persistent in this area.
