The aim of the present study was to assess the level of pesticide residues in vegetables in the Almaty Region of Kazakhstan and to determine the potential health risks associated with the exposures to these pesticides. A total of 82 samples of cucumbers and tomatoes from top agro-based market and greenhouses were analysed using a gas chromatography–micro electron capture detector/nitrogen–phosphorous detector (GC-μECD/NPD), a multiresidue method to analyse 184 different pesticide types. The results indicated that more than half of samples (59 %) contained 29 pesticides, in which 10 are not registered in Kazakhstan, ranging from 0.01 to 0.88 mg kg−1, and 28 % contained pesticide residues above maximum residue levels (MRLs). The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) ranged from 0.01 % of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for pyrimethanil to 12.05 % of the ADI for lambda-cyhalothrin. The most critical commodity is triazophos and flusilazole in tomatoes, contributing 70.8 and 42.5 % to the acute hazard index (aHI). The results provided important information on the current pesticide contamination status of two commonly consumed vegetables and pointed an urgent need to control the use of plant protection products applied, especially potentially persistent pesticides, such as endosulfan and dicofol. These results also show that the detected pesticides may be considered a public health problem.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10661-015-4818-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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