account for variability and uncertainty in chronic exposure estimates. The hazard index

Overview

This source page is a mechanical bulk-ingest record for a PDF in the methylmercury infant-formula research pull. It preserves source-level identity, routeable product/analyte scope, and exact extracted numeric lines for later human or fresh-context audit. It does not derive HMTc thresholds, percentiles, or brand-by-brand comparisons.

Key numbers

The worker extracted the full PDF text with layout preservation twice and compared extraction hashes before commit. The following lines are copied from numeric/table-bearing regions of the PDF and retain the source units and wording where legible:

• Milica Lučić 1 and Antonije Onjia 2, *
• 1 Innovation Center of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, 11120 Belgrade, Serbia;
• 2 Department of Analytical Chemistry and Quality Control, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy,
• University of Belgrade, 11120 Belgrade, Serbia
• This study investigated pesticide residues in 580 vegetable samples collected from markets
• leeks. In total, 33 distinct pesticides were detected using validated HPLC-MS/MS and
• GC-MS/MS analytical methods. Multiple residues were identified in 19 samples, while
• 29 samples exceeded established maximum residue levels (MRLs). Acute and chronic
• Daily Intake (ADI) percentages reaching a maximum of 5.9% ADI for adults and increased
• acceptable safety limits (HI < 1), although higher susceptibility was observed in children.
• Received: 24 June 2025 risk ranking; RASFF
• Vegetables. J. Xenobiot. 2025, 15, 125.
• distributed under the terms and to increased pesticide use (1,3). Due to their inherent toxicity, pesticides pose significant
• exposure dose and route (4). Residual pesticide contamination in crops is a major concern
• metabolites can also contribute to ecological and health risks (5,6).
• health disorders, including cancer (7), endocrine disruption, cardiovascular diseases (8),
• respiratory conditions (9), and allergic reactions (10). Moreover, prolonged or repeated
• leafy, fruiting, root, tuber, and bulb vegetables (12). Among root vegetables commonly
• crop globally, following wheat and rice (13), and also serve as an important source of
• health (14–18).
• need for strict control measures and limitations on excessive pesticide use (4). Vegetables,
• levels and the potential health risks associated with their consumption (12,21,22).
• given the potential health risks associated with dietary exposure to these compounds (4,24).
• more comprehensive evaluation of exposure scenarios and population risk (25–27).
• methodologies have occasionally been applied to citrus fruits (27), apples (28), cucumbers,
• cantaloupes, and melons (29); however, their application to root and tuber crops is notably
• limited (30). Comprehensive risk assessments involving multiple modeling approaches
• 2. Materials and Methods
• In this study, 580 vegetable samples were collected from the local markets in Serbia.
• The samples included vegetables like celery (n = 34), ginger (n = 60), potatoes (n = 273),
• radishes (n = 36), horseradish (n = 7), carrots (n = 20), onions (n = 44), and leeks (n = 106).
• All the samples were stored under refrigerated conditions at 4 ◦ C until analysis. Market
• to pesticide residues. On average, individual vegetable units weighed between 8 and 900 g,
• celery 500–900 g, onions 90–150 g, leeks 150–280 g, ginger 50–100 g, radishes 8–15 g, and
• horseradish 300–400 g. Each sample was analyzed as a whole or homogenized composite,
• (Table S1). HPLC-grade acetonitrile was purchased from Lachner (Neratovice, Czech
• ceeding 99%) were obtained from Carlo Erba (Milan, Italy). Other reagents, including
• amine sorbents (PSAs), C18 material, and graphitized carbon black (GCB), were procured
• 2.2. Pesticide Extraction and Analysis
• Vegetable samples were homogenized using a high-capacity homogenizer, and 10 g of
• the homogenate was transferred into a 50 mL centrifuge tube. Pesticide residues were then
• extracted, and the extract was cleaned in accordance with the EN 15,662 method (31).

Methods (brief)

• This study investigated pesticide residues in 580 vegetable samples collected from markets
• leeks. In total, 33 distinct pesticides were detected using validated HPLC-MS/MS and
• GC-MS/MS analytical methods. Multiple residues were identified in 19 samples, while
• 29 samples exceeded established maximum residue levels (MRLs). Acute and chronic
• Academic Editor: Teresa D’Amore Keywords: potato; carrot; ginger; celery; onion; radish; QuEChERS; GC-MS/MS; HPLC-MS/MS;
• 2.1. Samples and Reagents
• In this study, 580 vegetable samples were collected from the local markets in Serbia.
• The samples included vegetables like celery (n = 34), ginger (n = 60), potatoes (n = 273),
• All the samples were stored under refrigerated conditions at 4 ◦ C until analysis. Market
• contributing to the unequal distribution of sample sizes among the vegetables. A larger
• number of potato samples were intentionally collected, as potatoes are the most widely
• depending on the type. For example, potato samples weighed 100–200 g, carrots 70–150 g,
• horseradish 300–400 g. Each sample was analyzed as a whole or homogenized composite,
• (Table S1). HPLC-grade acetonitrile was purchased from Lachner (Neratovice, Czech
• Vegetable samples were homogenized using a high-capacity homogenizer, and 10 g of
• vegetable samples were rinsed with tap water; peeling was not performed, except for
• sample was homogenized (Grindomix GM 300, Retsch, Haan, Germany—4.5 L, 1.1 kW) to
• ensure sample representativity, following the European Commission guidance on analytical

Implications

This page makes the source discoverable for category-level evidence routing. Values remain source-native and should be used only with the stated matrix, species, basis, geography, and censoring context from the paper. The page does not convert total mercury to methylmercury or use total arsenic as inorganic arsenic.

Wiki pages this source may touch

• Fish — marine, non-predatory (sardines, anchovies, salmon, cod)
• Cadmium
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• Aluminum

Verification notes

• Identity check: DOI, raw handle, candidate cite-key, and SHA-256 were compared against existing wiki/sources/ pages before creation.
• Full-PDF read: pdftotext -layout was run on the full PDF twice; extracted text hashes matched before the page was written.
• Numeric verification: numeric/table-bearing lines were selected mechanically from the verified extraction and preserved without unit conversion or rounding.
• Brand firewall: the worker skips PDFs when extracted numeric lines appear brand/manufacturer-sensitive; this page contains category-level or species-level evidence only.
• HMTc firewall: no threshold, percentile, pass/fail, clean/dirty, or certification math is stated.

Update history

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