Survey on Pesticide Residues in Commercial Agricultural Products in the Northern Area of Seoul(2008)

This study was carried out to investigate the current status of pesticide residues in 3,735 agricultural products in the northern area of Seoul from January to December in 2008. 3,735 samples, comprising 119 types of agricultrural products were assessed via a multiresidue method to detect 260 pesticides. Pesticide residues were detected in 19.7% (737 of 3,735 samples), and the rate at which the detected residues violated the maximum residue levels(MRLs) of the Korean Food Code was 3.2% (121 of 3,735 samples). Pesticide residues were detected in 72 spin-aches, 64 peppers, 45 sweet peppers, 40 perilla leaves, 38 korean cabbages and 37 dried agricultural products. The samples that violated the MRLs included 14 perilla leaves, 13 spinaches, 12 leek, 6 lettuces(leaf), 6 chards and 6 gyeojchaes. Procymidone, endosulfan, chlorfenapyr, cypermethrin, bifenthrin, tebuconazole and fenvalerate were all frequently observed. Procymidone, endosulfan, dimethomorph and diniconazole were the pesticides most frequently detected at levels that violated the Korean Food Code MRLs.