2024-08-08 13:49:16
Living within a quarter mile of a place where pesticides are used before conception and early in pregnancy may increase the risk of stillbirth, according to a new study by researchers at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Southwest Environmental Sciences. Center, published in the ‘American Journal of Infectious Diseases’.
Researchers found that between 90 days before conception and the first trimester of pregnancy, certain antibiotics, including organophosphates, were associated with childbirth.
“In this study, some specific ingredients stand out because of their significant associations with the risk of childbirth. These findings show the importance of considering individual pesticides instead of the general class of pesticides alone, because specific chemical compounds can presents unique risks. It also demonstrates the potential for prenatal exposures to affect reproductive outcomes,” said lead author Melissa Furlong, who researches the chronic health effects of environmental pollutants as a fellow and environmental epidemiologist at Zuckerman College of Public Health and is a member of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.
To conduct the study, researchers linked Arizona pesticide use records for 27 different crops with state birth certificate data that included 1,237,750 births and 2,290 births between 2006 and 2020.
They found that living within 500 meters of specific applications of pyrethroid, organophosphate or carbamate pesticides during the 90-day window before pregnancy or the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of death.
Specifically, pesticides cyfluthrin, zeta-cypermethrina, organophosphates as a class, malathion, carbaryl y propamocarb hydrochloride is linked to an increase in pre-pregnancy deaths. During the first trimester, fenpropatrin, permethrin, organophosphates such as class, acephate, and formethanate hydrochloride are associated with fetal deaths.
“Among the organophosphates, acephate shows the strongest effect statistics on fetal death, therefore exposure to acephate in the first trimester is associated with a doubling of the risk. Within the class of pyrethroids, exposure to cyfluthrin within 90 days before pregnancy nearly doubles the risk of stillbirth,” said co-author Paloma Beamer, professor and interim associate dean at the Zuckerman School of Public Health and member of the Science Center – Southwestern Environmental Health, U of Health Sciences. Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center and BIO5 Institute.
Pesticides are chemicals that They are used to control pests in various areas. They are broadly divided into different classes such as organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates. The main form of exposure for most people is foodbut land use, agricultural drift, and labor exposure are also important pathways.
The researchers note that while some pesticides may not have been directly involved in this study, they may pose risks to maternal health and pregnancy.
Pregnant women may be especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of pesticide exposure due to physiological changes during pregnancy, such as increased metabolic rate, altered hormone levels, and changes in the immune system. . A developing fetus may be more susceptible to the toxic effects of pesticides during this period of rapid growth and development.
“Further research is necessary to fully understand the safety profiles of different pesticides and understand the mechanisms of pesticide-induced fetal destruction. “This study highlights the need to develop strategies to reduce exposure to protect maternal and fetal health,” concluded Furlong.
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