Pesticide Residues in Honey from the Major Honey Producing Forest Belts in Ghana

Table 1

Concentrations of pesticides.

		Average concentrations (mg/kg) of different classes of pesticide residues in the 3 different regions						MRL (EU, 2005)
		Ashanti		Brong-Ahafo		Western
		Beehive	Forest	Beehive	Forest	Beehive	Forest
Organophosphorus	Chlorpyrifos	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
	Diazinon	<0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.01
	Dimethoate	0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.02
	Fenitothion	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	Malathion	<0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.02
	Methamidophos	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
	Parathion	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	Phorate	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
	Phosmet	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
	Pirimiphos-methyl	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
	Profenofos	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
Synthetic pyrethroids	Bifenthrin	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
	Cyfluthrin	<0.01	0.02	<0.01	0.02	<0.01	0.02	0.02
	Cypermethrin	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
	Deltamethrin	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.05
	Fenvalerate	0.01	0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01	0.02
	Permethrin (cis/trans)	<0.01	0.04	0.01	0.04	<0.01	0.04	0.05
	λ-Cyahalothin	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.02
	∑Permethrin	<0.01	0.04	0.01	0.04	<0.01	0.04	0.05
Organochlorines	Aldrin	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.01	0.01
	Dieldrin	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	γ-Chlordane	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	Heptachlor	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	Lindane	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	Methoxychlor	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	α-HCH	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	β-HCH	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
	∑DDT	0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.01
	∑Endosulfan	0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.01	<0.01	0.01	0.05

∑Endosulfan = sum of isomers; ∑Permethrin = sum of cis- and trans-isomers; ∑DDT = sum of p, DDT, o,-DDT, and p,-DDE.