Environmental Monitoring and Potential Health Risk Assessment from Pymetrozine Exposure among Communities in Typical Rice–Growing Areas of China
Abstract Pymetrozine is one of the most common insecticides used in China. This study was conducted to analyse Pymetrozine’s potential exposures through various environmental routes beyond the treatment area. The aim was to estimate the potential health risk for communities due to non-dietary exposure to Pymetrozine in soil and paddy water. Data on registration of pesticides in China, government reports, questionnaires, interviews, literature reviews as well as toxicological health investigations were evaluated to determine the hazard and dose-response characteristics of Pymetrozine. These were based on the US EPA exposure and human health risk assessment methods using exposure from soil and paddy water samples collected between 10 to 20 meters around the resident’s location.The potential exposures from dermal contact through soil and paddy water were estimated. The potential cancer risk from the following routes was evaluated: the ingestion through soil; dermal contact exposure through soil; dermal contact exposure through paddy water; and the potential total cancer risk for residents was less than 1*10− 6. These were within the acceptable risk levels. The potential hazard quotient (HQ) from acute and lifetime exposure by dermal contact through paddy water and soil; acute and lifetime exposure by soil ingestion for residents were less than 1, indicating an acceptable risk level, thus both potential cancer risk and hazard quotient (HQ) were relatively low. Potential human health risk assessment of Pymetrozine in soil and paddy water suggested that negligible cancer risk and non-cancer risk based on ingestion and dermal contact are the main potential routes of exposure to residents.