Abstract Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs), as a new type of insecticide, are widely used in agriculture and daily life. Because of the low volatility of NNIs, few studies have evaluated them in atmospheric particulate matter. In this study, 101 outdoor PM 2.5 samples were collected from the Wuhan urban area from 2019 to 2021, leading to the detection of seven NNIs and three of their metabolites. The detection frequencies of all 10 substances were more than 60%, with DIN (dinotefuran) and IMI (imidacloprid) reaching 100%. DIN (52.4 pg/m 3 ) and IMI (43.0 pg/m 3 ) had higher median concentrations than other substances. Concentration distributions of the four substances ACE (acetamiprid), DIN, IMI, and 5-OH-IMI (5-Hydro-Imidacloprid) exhibited statistically significant differences ( P < 0.05) across the four seasons. Concentration levels of ACE, CLO (clothianidin), and IMI were statistically different between the three years ( P < 0.05). The median concentration of imidacloprid-equivalent total neonicotinoids (IMIeq: generated by the relative potency factor method) was 256.1 pg/m 3 . Finally, the estimated daily intake (EDI) of NNIs via respiration was greater in infants and young children than in the rest of the population, suggesting that infants and young children were more likely to be exposed to the health effects of airborne residual PM 2.5 .
Abstract Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs), as a new type of insecticide, are now widely used in agriculture and daily life. Because of the problematic volatility of NNIs, few studies have evaluated them in atmospheric particulate matter. In this study, a total of 101 outdoor PM2.5 samples were collected from the Wuhan urban area from 2019 to 2021, and seven NNIs and three metabolites of NNIs were detected. The frequency of detection for all 10 substances was more than 60%, with DIN and IMI reaching 100%. DIN (53.3 pg/m 3 ) and IMI (42.8 pg/m 3 ) had higher median concentrations than did the other substances. The distributions of four neonicotinoids and one metabolite were significantly different ( p <0.05) across the four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. The median concentration of imidacloprid-equivalent total neonicotinoids (IMIeq: generated by the relative potency factor method) was 256.1 pg/m 3 . Finally, the estimated daily intake (EDI) of NNIs via respiration was greater in infants and young children than in the rest of the population, suggesting that infants and young children are more likely to be exposed to the health effects of airborne residual PM2.5.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(60)'/%3e%3ccircle r='17' fill='%23000095'/%3e%3ccircle r='15' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(23.036 .093 25.536)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(45.87 1.273 16.18)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(69.945 .996 12.078)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(20.66 -19.689 31.932)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(144 450 300)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(216 450 300)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(288 450 300)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)