Antibiotics, pesticides, and heavy metals contaminants of honey as affected by antibiotics usage and agricultural practices in different Egyptian environments

Abstract

Environmental pollutants and global climate changes have a negative health effect on honeybees, and increase honey contamination.The aim of this study was to test the effect of antibiotic usage and agricultural practices on the presence of a total of 461 pesticides, 30 antibiotics, and five elements traces in honey samples collected from Egyptian apiaries of different environmental conditions representing intensive, and limited agriculture production regions. Pesticides and antibiotic residues in honey were detected at trace levels using tandem mass spectrometry techniques Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS). Antibiotics were detected using only Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry LC-MS/MS. The quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique (QICP-MS) was applied for the trace element analysis. Amitraz and acetamiprid were more frequent. The highest concentration of amitraz (0.022 mg/kg) was found in samples obtained from apiaries in the north delta. Iron and zinc were the highest frequently detected elements in all the collected honey samples. Also, Cu was less frequently detected elements in honey samples with percent values of 7%. Cd and Pb were found in honey samples from apiaries in the south delta of Egypt at 20%, and 27%, respectively. Most of the collected samples were contaminated with antibiotics. A direct relation between agriculture production and uncontrolled antibiotics applications on a beehive was concluded due to the increased diseases of bees in the regions of intensive agriculture production. Only two pesticides were detected along with low concentrations of toxic elements in too low levels to exceed their ‘European Union Maximum Residue Limit’ EU MRL.