Fipronil residues and risk assessment of Chinese marketed fruits and vegetables: A long-term investigation over 6 years

The presence and risk of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables have been concerned by the general public. Fipronil has been listed as a banned pesticide in China since 2009. However, its residue was still existent. The aim of this study was to investigate the residual level and potential chronic and acute risk of fipronil in marketed fruits and vegetables for adults and children. Sampling was carried out on a nationwide scale in China from 2013 to 2019. A total of 37 kinds of 10551 fruits and 85 kinds of 19966 vegetables were screened by GC-Q-TOF/MS. Based on these data, the diet exposure risks of fipronil through the consumption of fruits and vegetables were assessed. The results showed that there were 0.2% fruits and 0.8% vegetables with fipronil residues. After the risk assessment, the intake of fruits and vegetables did not pose a chronic risk for adults and children. However, 3 kinds of vegetables constituted unacceptable acute risk for both adults and children, and 2 kinds of vegetables posed unacceptable acute risk for children. Among the regions investigated, Tibet and Guangdong posed great acute risk for both general people and children. By the classification, the first category of fruits was the highest risk of litchi, and the first to the forth categories of the vegetables were the vegetables with high risks. The reliable date provided a solid foundation for the further control and management of fipronil residues in fruits and vegetables.