To understand the residue levels of anticoccidial drugs in chicken meat and eggs in Henan Province and to assess the risk of dietary exposure.

A total of 323 chicken and 326 eggs were randomly collected in Henan Province from 2022 to 2024, and residues of four anticoccidial drugs were detected according to the standard operating procedures in the“National Food Contaminants and Hazardous Factors Risk Monitoring Manual”, the χ² test was used for the comparison of rates.The exposure levels of anticoccidial drugs were calculated through probabilistic assessment methods combined with the residents’ consumption data of chicken and eggs, and the health risks of exposure were evaluated using hazard quotients.

The overall detection rate of anticoccidial drugs in chicken and eggs was 18.95%, and the passing rate was 99.85%.The detection rate of chicken was higher than that of eggs (χ²=107.602, P<0.001). The detection rates of anticoccidial drugs in chicken from high to low were diclazuril, nicarbazin, and toltrazuril sulfone (χ²=188.986, P<0.001). The detection rate of diclazuril in eggs was higher than that of nicarbazin (χ²=6.500, P=0.011). Toltrazuril was not detected in chicken and egg samples. There were no statistically significant differences in the detection rates of anticoccidial drugs in bulk and prepackaged chicken and eggs (χ²=0.406, P=0.524; χ²=0.694, P=0.405). There was no statistically significant difference in the detection rates of anticoccidial drugs in chicken samples from different circulation links (χ²=5.106, P=0.078). The detection rate of anticoccidial drugs in egg samples from online stores was higher than that from farmers’ markets and shops (χ²=8.514, P=0.014). The P₉₉ exposure levels of diclazuril and nicarbazin in chicken, and diclazuril in eggs were 2.78×10^-2 [μg/(kg BW·d)],2.14×10^-3 [μg/(kg BW·d)], 6.41×10^-4 [μg/(kg BW·d)], respectively. The hazard quotients of diclazuril in chicken and eggs for 99% of adults in Henan Province were 9.27×10^-4 and 0.21×10^-4 respectively, and the hazard quotient of nicarbazin in chicken for 99% of adults was 5.35×10^-6.

The overall detection rate of anticoccidial drugs in chicken and eggs is relatively low in Henan Province, and the risk of human intake is also relatively low.