The widespread use of neonicotinoids (NEOs) in agriculture production has led to their pervasive presence in various plant-based foodstuffs and environments matrices. However, how humans are exposed to NEOs via diet remains poorly understood. Here, we provide the first comprehensive evidence of NEOs across multiple external exposure pathways in China, including rice, drinking water, fruits, vegetables, meats, milk, and indoor dust (all samples, n = 567). Our results identified rice as the primary external exposure source, accounting for 49% of the total daily intake, significantly surpassing vegetables and fruits. We further quantified the concentrations of four NEOs in rice samples collected from 31 provinces across seven geographical regions of China. Overall, NEOs were detected in 83% of rice samples, with concentrations ranging from <0.01 to 607 ng/g. Thiacloprid (THD) was the most abundant NEO (median: 6.89 ng/g), followed by clothianidin (CLO) (6.44 ng/g), imidacloprid (IMI) (5.87 ng/g), and thiamethoxam (THM) (5.33 ng/g). Significant regional variations were observed: Central China exhibited the highest median concentration of ∑NEOs (140 ng/g), followed by North China (103 ng/g). Provincial-level analysis revealed that Jiangsu (median: 254 ng/g), Tianjin (250 ng/g), and Hubei (180 ng/g) are critical contamination hotspots. However, Southwest and Northwest China generally showed minimal contamination. Health risk assessment indicated that the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) for all NEOs were well below their respective acceptable daily intakes (ADIs). The hazard indices (HI) for adults and children were consistently lower than 1 (mean: 0.008), suggesting that dietary exposure to NEOs through rice currently poses a low risk to the general population in China. Despite the low acute risk, given rice's status as a staple food and the observed regional accumulation, long-term monitoring of NEOs residues in high-risk regions is recommended to ensure food safety. • Rice is identified as the primary pathway of neonicotinoids exposure in China. • Significant geographical heterogeneity of residue levels was found across China. • Cumulative health risks for both adults and children remain within safe limits.
Liu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.