Investigation of Neonicotinoids Insecticides with LC-MS/MS in Honey Produced in Giresun

Abstract

Neonicotinoids are a significant threat to the environment and the food chain given their wide commercial distribution, mode of action, systemic properties, persistence, toxicity profiles of insecticides and metabolites, and their effects on living organisms.These substances, developed as an alternative to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, pass to all parts of plants, including pollen and nectar, and can be transferred to products produced from these plants, especially bee products. With these systemic effects, neonicotinoids lead to negative effects on living things such as honey bees and wild bees, as well as other vertebrates. Currently, studies on neonicotinoid derivatives and their effects are increasing rapidly, and according to the results of the study, bans and restrictions are imposed on their use in different countries.The aim of the study was to determine the presence and amount of neonicotinoids in honey produced in Giresun province and to measure the level of pollution in the environment and possible public health risks it is revealed. Giresun province, known as the capital of hazelnuts in Turkey, where beekeeping is widespread and many agricultural activities are carried out, has the characteristics and importance to reveal the purpose of the study. For this purpose, 50 honey samples taken during the new harvest period from growers engaged in stationary beekeeping in areas close to Giresun's nut-growing regions were used as materials. Neonicotinoid in samples the presence of (acetamiprid, clothianidin, thiacloprid, imidacloprid,nitenpyram, thiamethoxam and dinotephran) was detected by LC-MS/MS. According to the analysis results; imidacloprid was detected in 9 of 50 honey samples, thiomethoxam in 2, and both imidacloprid and thiomethoxam in 1 were above 10 ppb, which is the limit value, and neonicotinoids were determined in a total of 12 samples. As a result, the presence of possible neonicotinoids in honey, which is recommended for therapeutic consumption, a sine qua non of healthy diets with high nutritional value, is a potential danger to public health. Neonicotinoid contamination in honey and other bee products, which are often consumed, especially by children and decrepit people, is extremely important in terms of the health risks it may pose. Within the framework of good agricultural practice, the selection of beekeeping areas and the introduction of restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids in this direction in parallel with the EU are important for preventing possible risks.