Abstract
Soil contamination by pesticide residues is a major concern due to their high soil persistence and dangerous effect on humans. Therefore, the aim of this study was to detect and determine the concentration of pesticide residues in agricultural soil samples. Agricultural soil samples were collected from three Egyptian governorates and were extracted using the QuEChERS method and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of twenty different pesticide residues (approximately 43% of the tested pesticides) were detected in agricultural soil samples obtained from the three governorates. South Sinai was heavily contaminated by pesticides, with a total concentration of 0.505 mg/kg, followed by Ismailia (0.207 mg/kg) and North Sinai (0.075 mg/kg). According to its use in agriculture, the percentage of pesticide residues detected revealed that 60% of the pesticides were fungicides and 35% were insecticides. In Ismailia governorate, carbendazim was detected in 40% of agricultural soil samples. In North Sinai governorate, boscalid and chlorpyrifos were detected in 66.66% of the soil samples. In South Sinai governorate, thiophanate-methyl, metalaxyl, and carbendazim were detected in 50% of the soil samples. This study revealed the presence of different pesticide residues in Egyptian agricultural soil samples, which can affect agricultural products grown on contaminated agricultural soil. The accumulation of mixtures of pesticide residues in soil constitutes mostly toxic chemicals that are a worldwide environmental issue that must be considered in the agricultural production sustainability assessment. These results could be used as a base for designing environmental maps to cover the pesticide residue contamination that affects agricultural crops in Egypt.