HUMANS IN THE ENVIRONMENT COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES FROM FIELD-GROWN TOMATOES

This paper aims to provide a perspective on the possibility that consumers could be exposed to pesticides, by estimating quantities of pesticide residues in tomatoes from field crops. Twelve pesticides, 7 fungicides and 5 insecticides respectively have been analyzed in field-grown tomatoes samples within the Mures Fitosanitary Unit (Romania) by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer with flight time, using the multi-residual method. This study highlights the necessity of pesticides monitoring in field-grown tomatoes, to warrant that their levels do not pose risks to human health. A number of three treatments were applied at the recommended normal doses to field-grown tomatoes samples at an interval of 20 days during 2012. The final residual amounts of pesticides in tomatoes were below the MRLs, except for chlorothalonil and bifenthrin. The analysis of health risk estimates based on consumption data in Europe and Romania revealed that the target pesticides do not pose a risk to human health.