IS IT SAFE TO EAT STRAWBERRIES? Deepak Dhakal President of Nastox Nepal Teaching Faculty, Department of Chemistry, Patan M. Campus, T.U.

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1 IS IT SAFE TO EAT STRAWBERRIES? Deepak Dhakal President of Nastox Nepal Teaching Faculty, Department of Chemistry, Patan M. Campus, T.U.

2 Health Benefits It can be taken as a Heart healthy diet, and the best snacks for the pregnant women due to presence of high amount of Iron & Folic acid. Unique combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients. Health benefits in three major areas: i. Cardiovascular support and prevention of cardiovascular diseases ii. Improved regulation of blood sugar, with decreased risk of type 2 diabetes iii. Prevention of certain cancer types including breast, cervical, colon, and esophageal cancer.

3 University of Illinois, USA This versatile red fruit can be enjoyed alone or as part of meals, salads or desserts. 94% of United States households consume strawberries, averaging an intake of 3.4 pounds of strawberries per person per year.

4 Farmer s Field Activities 24-Jun-14

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6 The USDA, Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen" list of foods most likely to have high pesticide residues (2011) 1. Celery - 64 different pesticides 2. Peaches - 62 different pesticides 3. Strawberries - 59 different pesticides 4. Apples - 42 different pesticides 5. Blueberries - 52 different pesticides 6. Nectarines - 33 different pesticides 7. Bell peppers - 49 different pesticides 8. Spinach - 48 different pesticides 9. Kale high amounts of pesticide residue 10. Cherries - 42 different pesticides 11. Potatoes -37 different pesticides 12. Grapes - 34 different pesticides

7 Pesticides Pollution Human Health Effects Known as Probable Carcinogens Suspected Hormone Disruptors Neurotoxins Developmental or Reproductive Toxins Environmental Effects Honeybee Toxins

8 What will happen in Misuse & Overuse of Pesticides? Years of pesticides and farming the same soil, led to a drastic lowering of nutritional value across the food chain. And Regular feeding of pesticides ultimately resulting - Cancer, infertility and if pregnant - birth defects like Baby with low IQ due to over expose on pesticide while pregnant and many more like failure of Kidney, lever and other vital organs

9 Be aware of pesticides! Bouchards et al, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2010 (DOI: /peds ). Even tiny, allowable amounts of a common pesticide class can have dramatic effects on brain chemistry. Organophosphate insecticides (OP s) are among the most widely used pesticides in the U.S. & have long been known to be particularly toxic for children. Finding: Kids with above-average pesticide exposures are likely to have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

10 Consumers Rights It is the consumers rights to know the quality of Strawberries that we consume. So, it is the belated realization to know the exact situation of pesticides residue present on the Strawberries available in our market.

11 Common Issue Consumers right to know about quality of Strawberries which will be suitable to serve - As the best snack for pregnant women - As an ideal fruit for heart-healthy diet - To reduce the risk of cancer Or - As the worst snack for pregnant women - As a fruit for heart-filthy diet - To enhance the risk of cancer

12 Turmoil Situation From the previous pictures, the quality of Nepalese farmers and new trend of their farming culture indicates that the Strawberries will be not so healthy as we thought So, we can say that we are completely blind about the quality of this foodstuff and now we are in chaos that are they really edible or not?

13 Research sites

14 Commercially grown strawberries come from the genusspecies Fragaria ananassa. Started cultivating Nyoho strawberries, a Japanese variety, in this area since 1989 and contributed by Jaiti Nepal, Kakani based Japanese INGO. Okharpauwa (2,3, 6) and Kakani (2,3) VDCs of Nuwakot district are famous for Strawberry farming (1750m 1850m from the see level). Approx. 20 km west from Ktm. Owing to its sweetness and high yield, its being popular as a high-value cash crop among the locals in this area. Currently more than 700 households are involved in commercial farming, each producing approx kgs of Strawberries per season.

15 Milestone Activity with Time-frame (Sep 2012 Aug 2013) Activities Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Rem arks Review of Previous works Survey Experimental design & set-up Sample Collection Laboratory Analysis Mapping of locations Analysis of data Report preparation

16 Organochlorines What do we look for? Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, Dieldrin, HCB, Heptachlor, Lindane, Endosulfan Organophosphates Chlorpyrifos, Demeton-S-Methyl, Diazinon, Dimethoate, Fenamiphos, Fenthion, Maldison, Methamidophos, Methidathion, Mevinphos, Parathion Methyl, Phorate, Parathion Pyrethroids Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, Fenvalerate, Permethrin Carbamates Benomyl, Carbaryl, Carbendazim, Carbofuran, Methiocarb, Methomyl Other Pirimicarb (fungicide), Chlorothalonil, Dicofol, Procymidone, Tetradifon

17 Research Method and Experimental Design The sampling out was taken two times January and March 2013 Representative samples collected from Farmer s Field (8 points), Collection Center (2 points) and Markets (10 points). Extraction was carried out in ethyl acetate, screening of contaminants, identification, confirmation and quantification by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS.

18 Results and Discussion Pesticide Tolerance (ppm) EU No. Sample with no residue Proportion of Sample with no residue Proportion of Sample with residue > tolerance Maximum ppm Mean ppm Std. Dev. Mean Std. Error Mean Chlorothalonil % 83.33% Dicofol % 33.33% α-endosulfan % 0.00% β-endosulfan % 0.00% Fenpropathrin % 0.00% Parathion Methyl % 83.33%

19 S No Pesticide CAS No Action/Use Classification Waiting days WHO (Toxicity) 1 Chlorothalonil Fungicide Organochlorine 14 NH 2 Dicofol Acaricide Organochlorine 14 III 3 α-endosulfan Insecticide/ acaricide 4 β-endosulfan Insecticide/ acaricide 5 Fenpropathrin Insecticide/ acaricide Organochlorine II Organochlorine II Pyrethroid 14 II 6 Parathion Methyl (Metacid) Insecticide/ acaricide Organophosphate POP Ia (Banned)

20 Organochlorine 66.66% Organophosphate & Pyrethroid 16.66%

21 WHO Classification of Pesticides Ia = Extremely Hazardous 16.66%, II = Moderately Hazardous 50%, III = Slightly Hazardous %, NH = Non Hazardous %

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23 Fenpropathrin was observed as a noticeable level during March 2013 in the Okharpauwa sites. Pendimethalin (herbicide) and Pyraclostrobin (growth regulator/ fungicide) were also detected by LC-MS/MS in all samples but found less than detection limit (1ng/g).

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25 Outcomes 1. The research successfully disclosed the ground reality of the pesticide residue on Strawberries of Nuwakot district Nepal. 2. It creates public awareness on the existence calamity of the pesticides residue on Strawberries 3. The data, of course, may support as a data bank of pesticide used in Country 4. It may draw attention to the - food producers/consumer - quality control agencies - certification bodies - international community - trading partners ultimately it will be a milestone - to boost up the economy of district/nation - to improve human health in nation - to keep healthy & sustainable environment globally

26 Outcomes 5. Enhance the contribution in research and development on pesticides residue analysis in Nepal. Particularly, it initiates the young researchers/students for contribution in the academic research field in Universities it may further initiate pesticides residue analysis on different foodstuffs available in our country and ultimately, it may play the great role for leading to healthy and sustainable farming culture in Nepal.

27 Conclusion and Recommendation Endosulfan is a widely used insecticide, but it can be taken as an endocrine disruptor, causing reproductive and developmental damage in both animals and humans. So, it has banned in most of the countries like USA & European countries; and EPA recommend to ban Endosulfan in agro-products as soon as possible from around the world. Similarly, Parathion Methyl was already banned for normal use in agriculture produces in all around the world but it was detected in the Strawberries in the research sites so it is hard to recommend as an edible fruit.

28 Finally Thus, for the sustainable improvement of human health and environment, the Government of Nepal and other concerned authorities should be rethink on this issue & take appropriate action as soon as possible for the healthy farming culture in the research sites.

29 Acknowledgements University Grants Commission, Bhaktapur, Nepal for providing the Faculty Research Grants Dr. Kaushik Banerjee, Senior Scientist National Research Centre for Grapes, Government of India, Maharashtra State, India for residues analysis and the National Society of Toxicology - Nepal, Lalitpur for the technical supports. Finally special thanks goes to the Strawberries growers, distributers and retailers who made this research study possible by voluntarily providing the detailed information on their individual, cultural and handling practices.

30 Name and Address of the Partner Organization Research Laboratory National Research Centre for Grapes, Government of India, Maharashtra State, India Dr Kaushik Banerjee, Senior Scientist (Ag. Chemistry) Phone Number: , , The National Society of Toxicology, Nepal P O Box No.: 8973, NPC 142, Kathmandu, Nepal. nastoxnepal@gmail.com, d_dhakal@hotmail.com

31 Thank You! Deepak Dhakal Teaching Faculty, Department of Chemistry President National Society of Toxicology, Nepal (Nastox Nepal) for improving human health and environment Sister Organization of IUTOX, USA