Pesticide concentrations in maternal and umbilical cord sera and their relation to birth outcomes in a population of pregnant women and newborns in New Jersey.
We evaluated in utero exposures to pesticides by measuring maternal and cord serum biomarkers in a New Jersey cohort of pregnant women and the birth outcomes of their neonates. The study was based on 150 women that underwent an elective cesarean delivery at term in a hospital in central New Jersey. We evaluated the following pesticide compounds in both maternal and umbilical cord sera: chlorpyrifos, diazinon, carbofuran, chlorothalonil, dacthal, metolachlor, trifluralin and diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET). Of these compounds, chlorpyrifos, carbofuran, chlorothalonil, trifluralin, metolachlor and DEET were the pesticides most frequently detected in the serum samples. We found high (> or =75th percentile) metolachlor concentrations in cord blood that were related to birth weight (3605 g in upper quartile vs 3399 g; p=0.05). We also observed an increase in abdominal circumference with increasing cord dichloran concentrations (p=0.031). These observations suggest that in utero exposures to certain pesticides may alter birth outcomes.
Barr
Dana Boyd
DB
Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Ananth
Cande V
CV
Yan
Xiaoyong
X
Lashley
Susan
S
Smulian
John C
JC
Ledoux
Thomas A
TA
Hore
Paromita
P
Robson
Mark G
MG
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000187:drug effects
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010575:Pesticides