Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables Grown in Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Introduction: The presence of pesticide residues in primary and derived agricultural products raises serious health problems for consumers. The aim of this study was to assess the level of pesticide residues in commonly consumed vegetables. Methods: Pesticide residues were extracted from market garden products (Solanum lycopersicum, Capsicum sp, Cucumis sativus and Lactuca sativa) by the QuEchERS method and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV) technique. Results: These analyzes made it possible to detect 32 pesticide residues. All market garden products contained pesticide residues, 12.82% of which exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs). The pesticide families found were triazines (34.34%), urea derivatives (31.25%), organophosphorus residues (9.37%), organochlorines (9.37%), triazinones (9.37%) and carbamates (6.25%). Among the market garden products, only lettuce was contaminated by residues from all families with concentrations of pesticide residues exceeding their limits of quantification at the level of 5 molecules: Chlorpropham (0.016 mg/kg), Linuron (0.02 mg/kg), Chlorfenvinphos (0.026 mg/kg) Parathion-ethyl (0.014) and Metolachlor (0.013 mg/kg) which is an organochlorine pesticide. Organochlorines are among the prohibited pesticides. Among agrochemicals used, some were not approved. Conclusion: The results indicate the presence of pesticide residues in commonly consumed vegetables and highlight the urgent need to develop comprehensive intervention measures to reduce the potential health risk to consumers. The need for regular monitoring of pesticide residues and raising farmers' awareness of better pesticide safety practices are actions to be taken for the health of consumers.