Occurrence of imidacloprid in Italian house dust

The occurrence of pesticides intended for non-agricultural use was investigated in 206 dust samples drawn from vacuum-cleaner bags from residential flats in Italy. The results indicated the presence of imidacloprid (IMI) in 30% of the samples. According to the estimated dust intake in infants/toddlers aged 6–24 months (16–100 mg d−1) and cats (200 mg d−1), it was possible to obtain risk characterization with respect to the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for IMI of 0.060 mg/kg body weight (bw) proposed by EFSA and the chronic Population Adjusted Dose (cPAD) of 0.019 mg/kg bw d−1 by US-EPA. Under the worst-case scenario, the presence of IMI in dust indicates potential exceedance of the cPAD in kittens, to be considered as sentinel also accounting for combined exposure. This study highlights the relevance of consumer empowerment about the responsible use of pesticides as biocidal products in indoor environment.

Source:
Severyn Salis, Cecilia Testa, Paola Roncada, Sara Armorini, Nicola Rubattu, Angelo Ferrari, Roberto Miniero & Gianfranco Brambilla (2017)
Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03601234.2017.1331675
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1080/03601234.2017.1331675?sc…