Occupational exposure to pesticides and pregnancy outcomes in gardeners and farmers: a study within the Danish National Birth Cohort.
OBJECTIVE
We conducted a follow-up study to examine whether exposure to pesticides during pregnancy had an adverse effect on pregnancy outcomes among Danish gardeners and farmers.


METHODS
Using data from the National Birth Cohort in Denmark, we identified 226 pregnancies of gardeners and 214 pregnancies of farmers during 1997 through 2003. Work activities and exposure to pesticides were reported in an interview (around 16 weeks of gestation). Totally, 62,164 other workers in the cohort served as a reference group. Pregnancy outcomes were obtained by linkage to the national registers. Cox regression was applied to analyze late fetal loss and congenital malformations, and logistic regression was used to analyze preterm birth and small for gestational age.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in the studied pregnancy outcomes between gardeners or farmers and all other workers, except for an increased risk of very preterm birth for gardeners and a favorable birth weight for farmers. With the exception of biologic approach used in gardening, neither work activities nor exposure to pesticides showed a significant increased risk of adverse birth outcomes among gardeners or farmers.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest little effect of occupational exposures to pesticides on pregnancy outcomes among gardeners or farmers in Denmark. The results may not apply to other countries.
Zhu
Jin Liang
JL
Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. zjl@soci.au.dk
Hjollund
Niels H
NH
Andersen
Anne-Marie Nybo
AM
Olsen
Jørn
J
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000383:Agriculture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D020073:Gravidity; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018812:Paternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010575:Pesticides; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology
D010575:Pesticides