Detection of Organophosphate and Carbamate Pesticides Residues in Fruits in Bangkok Metropolitan

Abstract

The plantation of fruits is popular in Thailand. People are in favour of fruits with nutritional value. The consumers can buy fruits easily from the fresh markets and the supermarkets. The purpose of this experiment is to detect the pesticide organophosphate and carbamate in the fruits sold in the fresh markets and supermarkets in Bangkok Metropolitan Area. The purpose of this research was to test 200 samples of fruits to find the pesticide organophosphate and carbamate residues by using MJPK test kits. Convenience Sampling method was used to buy fruit samples.  From the experiment, the researchers have tested 200 samples of guavas, oranges, red apples, mangoes and dragon fruits and found that 33 (16.5%) samples of fruits from fresh markets contained residues of organophosphate and carbamate with 32 samples from fresh market and one sample from a supermarket. From the analysis of these types of fruits, the study indicated that there were organophosphate and carbamate residues at a highly dangerous level: the residues were found in 7 samples of dragon fruits (19.4%) from the total of 36. 7 samples of the oranges and apples (17%) from a total of 41 contained organophosphate and carbamate residues. From the study, the problem of pesticide residues in fruits should be resolved at both consumer level and national level. The consumers must be able to cope with pesticide residues in fruits by using right fruit washing methods to reduce the residues while at the national level, there should be a policy to regulate the quality of fruits after harvesting and before entering the markets for consumers as well as a very strict law enforcement.