Evaluation of pesticides multiresidue contamination of khat leaves from Jazan region, Kingdome Saudi Arabia, using solid-phase extraction – gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Abstract

The habit of khat chewing is widespread with a deep-rooted sociocultural tradition in these regions and as such poses a public health problem. The use of pesticides is considered to be indispensable practice for the production of adequate food supply for the increasing demands by the global population and for control of insect-borne diseases. Thus, contamination of the environment with pesticides and entry of these chemicals into the food chain is unavoidable especially in developing countries. The main objective of our current study was to assess pesticide pollution of khat leaves (unknown origin) obtained while being smuggled into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to be used in Jazan area. A total of 120 khat leaf samples were extracted using solid-phase extraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis for the presence of 69 standard pesticides using an internal standard, tiphenyl phosphate. No pesticide residues were detected in all the studied samples. These data as preliminary and more experiments need to be performed to confirm our present findings. Routine monitoring of the pesticide residues is important for the prevention, control, and reduction of environmental pollution and also for legal decisions to minimize health risks.

Keywords:

• pesticides
• khat leaves
• SPME
• GC/MS

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by a grant [no. 1008/2012] from Substance Abuse Research Center (SARC), Jazan University, KSA. We are grateful to Dr Sediq Abdelwahab and his laboratory staff of Medical Research Center, Jazan University, for their sincere cooperation and support to provide their laboratory facilities. Thanks are also extended to Dr Mohsen Faqih from Poison Control & Forensic Medical Chemistry Center, Jazan, for his kind cooperation and help throughout the practical experiments. Special thanks to Dr Mohammed Al Tufail, King Feisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, for kindly providing us the pesticide standard mixture.