Dimethacarb is a carbamate insecticide developed in China that contains 3,5-dimethylphenyl methylcarbamate (XMC) and 3,4-dimethylphenyl methylcarbamate (MPMC) isomers. Dimethacarb has been registered for use in rice in China, but no residue or degradation of dimethacarb in rice has been reported and the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for rice have not been established. A versatile high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed with modified QuEChERS sample preparation to determine two isomers of dimethacarb in rice. The average recovery of XMC and MPMC in brown rice, rice husk, and rice straw ranged from 71.69 to 100.60%, with spike levels of 0.01 to 1 mg/kg and relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.21 to 8.41%. Field experiments showed that the half-lives of XMC and MPMC in rice straw were 4.08 to 4.23 days and 3.48 to 3.69 days, respectively. Final residues of XMC and MPMC in rice husk after 21 days of spraying at six sites ranged from 0.23-2.65 mg/kg and 0.06-1.10 mg/kg, and <0.01-0.16 mg/kg and <0.01-0.04 mg/kg in brown rice. The ratio of XMC to MPMC content in the rice husk differed from the original 50% dimethacarb EC, indicating the difference in the degradation rate of XMC and MPMC. The estimated risk quotient (RQ) for both XMC and MPMC was less than 30%. These data for residues from six representative locations could provide a reference for establishing the MRL of dimethacarb in rice.
Keywords: HPLC-MS/MS; degradation; dimethacarb; residues; rice; risk assessment.