Currently used pesticides (CUPs) were introduced to have lower persistence and bioaccumulation, and lesser bioavailability towards non-target species. Nevertheless, CUPs still represent a concern for both human health and the environment. India is an important agricultural country experiencing a conversion from the use of obsolete organochlorine pesticides to a newer generation of phytosanitary products. As for other developing countries, very little is known about the transfer of CUPs to the human diet in India, where systematic monitoring is not in place. In this study, we analyzed ninety four CUPs and detected thirty CUPs in several food products belonging to five types: cereals and pulses, vegetables, fruits, animal-based foods, and water. Samples were taken from markets in Delhi (aggregating food produced all over India) and in the periurban area of Dehradun (northern India) (representing food produced locally and through more traditional practices). Overall, chlorpyrifos and chlorpropham were the most detected CUPs with a detection frequency of 33% and 25%, respectively. Except for vegetables and fruits, the levels of CUPs in all other food types were significantly higher in samples from Delhi (p < 0.05). Exposure dosage of CUPs through different food matrices was calculated, and chlorpropham detected in potatoes had the maximum exposure dosage to humans (2.46 × 10-6 mg/kg/day). Risk analysis based on the hazard quotient technique indicated that chlorpyrifos in rice (2.76 × 10-2) can be a concern.

Department of Chemistry SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chengalpattu District Tamil Nadu 603203 India; Environmental Science and Technology Laboratory Centre for Research in Environment Sustainability and Climate Change Directorate of Research SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chengalpattu District Tamil Nadu 603203 India

Environmental Science and Technology Laboratory Centre for Research in Environment Sustainability and Climate Change Directorate of Research SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chengalpattu District Tamil Nadu 603203 India; The Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection The University of Lodz Poland

Mu Gamma Consultants Gurugram India

Norwegian Institute for Water Research Økernveien 94 0579 Oslo Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences Universitetstunet 3 1432 Ås Norway

Norwegian Institute for Water Research Økernveien 94 0579 Oslo Norway; Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research 1431 Ås Norway

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