Chlorfluazuron residues in cauliflower and other vegetables
What it found
In field tests, chlorfluazuron broke down quickly in cauliflower and three other vegetables, and the authors estimated that the amount people would take in from these vegetables is low.
What they found
Breakdown in vegetables
In the edible parts of the vegetables, chlorfluazuron levels fell over time. After 28 days, more than 90% had broken down, with a half-life of 2.4 to 12.6 days.
Residues after spraying
Right after spraying, residues in the four vegetables ranged from 0.625 to 6.072 mg/kg. At 14 days after the last spray, cauliflower residues ranged from less than 0.01 to 0.92 mg/kg.
Estimated daily intake
Using the highest median residue from the four vegetables, the authors estimated that people in China would take in 0.753 to 1.661 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day.
Risk quotient
The risk quotient, a measure of whether intake is likely to be a concern, was 0.15 to 0.35. Values below 1 are considered acceptable.
What the authors conclude
“Further assessment of the median values of the residues obtained in the final residue test indicated that the chlorfluazuron residue in vegetables consumed by the general Chinese population poses a relatively low health risk to humans.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that chlorfluazuron is a readily degradable pesticide and that its residue in vegetables consumed by the general Chinese population poses a relatively low health risk to humans.
- They say the results provide supporting data for guiding the reasonable use of chlorfluazuron in vegetable production and for evaluating its dietary intake risk.
How it was done
Chlorfluazuron is used to control crop pests, but its residues have been shown to be harmful to human health. The authors wanted to study how it breaks down in vegetables and assess the risk from eating them.
They sprayed chlorfluazuron on Chinese cabbage, Chinese kale, Chinese lettuce and cauliflower in fields in Anhui and Hubei provinces in China. They measured residues over time and used those numbers to estimate how much people might take in through their diet.
What it can’t tell you
- This study measured residues in vegetables and estimated dietary intake. It did not measure health effects in people.
- The risk assessment is based on average consumption patterns and median residue levels, so it cannot show what happens with very high intakes or unusual diets.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Institute of Plant Protection and Agro-Product Safety, China; Ministry of Agriculture, China
The paper
- Title
- Determination of the Residue Behavior and Risk Assessment of Chlorfluazuron in Chinese Cabbage, Kale, Lettuce and Cauliflower by UPLC-MS/MS
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Sun M, Tong Z, Dong X, et al (2019). Determination of the Residue Behavior and Risk Assessment of Chlorfluazuron in Chinese Cabbage, Kale, Lettuce and Cauliflower by UPLC-MS/MS. International journal of environmental research and public health. doi:10.3390/ijerph16101758Free full textPubMed 31108982DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error