Organophosphate pesticide residues in environmental and biological matrices: Occurrence, distribution and potential remedial approaches

The prevalent occurrence of organophosphate pesticides in the environment is widely accompanied by severe adverse impacts on environmental matrices and humans owing to their bioaccumulation in the food chain or direct exposure. Despite the intervention of regulatory agencies on the levels of pesticide residues, studies have shown that these pesticide congeners are still present in human blood serum and urine as well as soil, sediments, water, and air. This, therefore, requires the adoption of both conventional and newly developed methods for the total mitigation of pesticides in environmental matrices. The ubiquitous nature of this group of xenobiotics in both environmental and biological matrices, particularly at alarming concentrations as reported in the reviewed studies, is responsible for its attendant adverse health and ecological impacts. Based on available evidence, the predominant source of organophosphate pesticides in the environment is agricultural application. Although this class of persistent organic pollutants is relatively less persistent in the environment than their organochlorine counterparts, nevertheless, their neurotoxic effects on humans cannot be undermined. Adequate measures must be taken to regulate the storage and usage of these pesticides on farmlands. It is also recommended that more eco-friendly and sustainable approaches should be developed to circumvent the distressing effects of organophosphate pesticides. In this review article, special attention is given to the occurrence of these pesticide residues in biological and environmental matrices. This article comprehensively discusses recent advances in the remediation of organophosphate pesticides whilst exploring future perspectives for these remedial approaches.