Background and purpose: In this study, we investigated the ethion insecticide residues in greenhouse cucumber and the effects of some procedures in reducing its amount before consumption in Hamadan, 2015.

Materials and methods: Five greenhouses were randomly selected and in spring a total of 90 samples was analyzed for the effects of treatments including washing for 2 min and different storage times on ethion residuals. HPLC method was used to measure the residual concentrations.

Results: The results showed that the maximum and minimum ethion residuals after one hour spraying were 1.63 and 1.31 mg/kg, respectively which were higher than the maximum permissible limit of 0.5 mg/kg (MRL). Storage for 24 hours and washing (2 mins) reduced the initial amount of pesticide residues by 43.2% and 52.7 %, respectively.

Conclusion: In case of inappropriate management programs in using pesticides, not considering the preharvest interval (PHI), and lack of proper washing, the remaining amount of pesticides can exceed the permissible limits which would pose a serious threat to the health of consumers in long time.