Establishing the HPLC-MS/MS Method for Monitoring the Residue and Degradation of Butralin in Ginseng during Field and Risk Assessments

Butralin can effectively mitigate the spreading of weeds in ginseng fields, however, the dissipation and residues of butralin in ginseng have not been investigated. In this study, we established a high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method to determine the butralin residue and its dissipation in ginseng and its dietary intake risk. The mean recoveries of butralin in ginseng (fresh, dried, plants, and soil) ranged from 93.1–107.5% with relative standard deviations of 0.7–6.4%. The half-lives of butralin in ginseng plant and soil were 10.81–18.91 days, and its final residues in ginseng, dried gingeng, gingeng plant, and soil were <0.01, <0.010–0.02, 0.011–0.19, and 0.162–0.410 mg/kg, respectively. The dietary risk quotient of butralin was 3.25 × 10−4, which suggests that the consumption of butralin-treated ginseng during the harvest period does not affect human health.