Summary:
This study examined dietary exposure to pesticides from fruit and vegetable consumption and explored whether greater dietary exposure is associated with higher pesticide biomarker levels in humans. Large quantities of synthetic pesticides are used annually in the United States, and people may be exposed through several pathways, including food, drinking water, residential proximity to agricultural spraying, and household or occupational pesticide use. Food is considered an important route of exposure because pesticide residues commonly remain on agricultural products, particularly fruits and vegetables, even after washing. Evidence from epidemiological research has linked pesticide exposure to a range of adverse health outcomes, such as increased risk of cancer, neurological harm, reproductive toxicity, respiratory effects, and disruption to hormonal function. This study used a cross-sectional analysis of data to estimate dietary pesticide exposure and its relationship with urinary pesticide biomarkers. The researchers developed a pesticide load index to rank fruits and vegetables according to overall pesticide contamination. Pesticide residue testing data were used for 44 types of produce. Using food frequency questionnaire data, dietary pesticide exposure scores were calculated for 1,837 participants based on their reported consumption of fruits and vegetables. The results initially indicated that higher dietary pesticide exposure scores were generally not associated with increased overall pesticide biomarker rankings in urine. However, when potatoes were excluded from the analysis, a significant positive association was observed. Under this condition, higher consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with increased urinary biomarkers for several insecticide classes, including organophosphates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids.
Abstract:
Pesticide exposure has been linked to chronic health harms, yet the effects of cumulative dietary exposure to pesticide mixtures are poorly understood. A pesticide load index was created to rank produce based on pesticide contamination from national pesticide residue testing data for 44 produce types, primarily collected from 2013 to 2018. Three indices were created utilizing different indicators of pesticide contamination and toxicity. Dietary pesticide exposure scores for 1837 individuals were calculated based on produce consumption from the 2015–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Covariate-adjusted weighted linear regressions were used to estimate the change in average pesticide biomarker rank relative to dietary pesticide exposure scores. Pesticide load indices were calculated based on detections of 178 unique parent pesticides, or 42 parent pesticides with matched urinary biomarkers in NHANES. Increasing dietary pesticide exposure scores were not associated with average pesticide biomarker rank (β [95 % CI] = 0.02 [-0.34, 0.38]) and were consistent across scores that utilized the different indices. Matching pesticides in food and urine, results in a slightly stronger association (β [95 % CI] = 0.09 [-0.32, 0.51]). Excluding potatoes resulted in a positive significant association (β [95 % CI] = 0.75 [0.35, 1.14]). When excluding potatoes, consumption of fruits and vegetables weighted by pesticide contamination was associated with higher levels of urinary pesticide biomarkers for organophosphate, pyrethroid, and neonicotinoid insecticides. Future research could use this methodology, with the recommendation to exclude potatoes, to assess the impact of dietary pesticide exposure on health outcomes.
Article Publication Date: 15/10/2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114654
