Pesticides in multigrains and risk assessment for Koreans by age group

Using GC-MS/MS, 365 pesticides were analysed simultaneously in multigrains collected in the metropolitan area in 2018 and 2019. A risk assessment was performed for the detected pesticides. The limit of quantification, recovery and relative standard deviation for the pesticides ranged from 0.9–10.5 μg/kg, 70.3–89.3% and 3.0–10.3%, respectively. Among the 240 samples of multigrains, a total of 104 pesticides were detected, resulting in a detection rate of 32.9%. Out of these, 79 samples contained more than one pesticide. Risk assessment was conducted across all age groups, ranging from children to the elderly. The hazard quotient of phenothrin in glutinous rice was found to be 0.977, which was the highest in this study. However, the hazard index did not exceed 1 in any age group. These results indicated that the detected pesticides do not pose a serious public health concern. Nonetheless, regular monitoring is necessary to ascertain food safety.