Pesticide residues in various environmental and biological matrices: distribution, extraction, and analytical procedures

The ubiquitous presence of contaminants like pesticides in the various environmental matrices has become a concern for environmental sustainability and global stability. Pesticides are a distinctive class of environmental contaminants that are specifically introduced into the environment to kill or inhibit pests attacking the different crops. Although pesticide application is beneficial to crop production by serving several significant purposes, like protection against vector-borne diseases and crop loss, there are substantial concerns as they have a persistent nature and can possess serious consequences because of harmful effects to non-targeted beings comprising humans also. Pesticide consumption has reached 4.1 million tonnes/year in 2017 almost 81% from 1990. Recent data suggest pesticides account for 14–20% of global suicides from 2006 to 2015 resulting in 111,000–168,000 deaths annually from 2010 to 2014. About 14 million people have died from suicide by consuming pesticides since the beginning of the Green revolution. About 1 million accidental pesticide poisoning occur each year causing 20,000 fatalities approximately. For this reason, the occurrence of pesticides in different mediums like crop, air, water resources, fruits and vegetables, soil, plants, birds, animal products, and human beings was reviewed. This paper presents an overview of pesticides occurrence, distribution, extraction method, analytical techniques for their detection. This review will assist policymakers to enforce guidelines to restrict the redundant use of pesticides.