Nationwide Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Fishery Products

Global production of fisheries and aquaculture products continues to increase, with the fisheries sector increasingly considered essential for global food security and nutrition. As public demand for seafood increases, implementation of safety management to minimize risks and ensure the safety of seafood products becomes important. This study was conducted to monitor 198 chemicals, comprising 161 pesticides and 37 pesticide metabolites, and to assess their risks in saltwater and freshwater fish in the Republic of Korea, based on the analysis of 471 fishery samples (298 saltwater and 173 freshwater). Among the fifteen saltwater fish species analyzed, pesticides were detected in eight species (croaker, flatfish, sea bass, flounder, snapper, yellow tail, salmon, and gizzard shad) and in all seven freshwater species (carp, catfish, crucian carp, eel, leather carp, loach, and trout). Four pesticides (ethoxyquin, lufenuron, metaflumizone, and propiconazole) were detected in saltwater fish, while nine pesticides (ethoxyquin, ipfencarbazone, isoprothiolane, lufenuron, metaflumizone, oxadiargyl, pendimethalin, phoxim, and trichlorfon) were found in freshwater fish. Ethoxyquin was the most frequently detected pesticide in both fish types, mostly in the form of its metabolite, the ethoxyquin dimer. The estimated daily intake (EDI) was calculated based on the maximum concentrations of pesticides detected and the average consumption of fishery products by sex and age group. The hazard quotients, expressed as a percentage of acceptable daily intake (%ADI) and calculated using the EDI and ADI of the pesticides detected, were evaluated to be no more than 5.6%. These results suggest that consumption of saltwater and freshwater fish in the Republic of Korea poses a low risk to human health. This approach can be applied to pesticide residue monitoring and risk assessment in the fisheries sector, providing valuable data for evaluating contamination levels and supporting the regulation and management of chemical residues.