title: 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.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Dana Boyd
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: Cande V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Ananth
authors.forename: Xiaoyong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lashley
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Smulian
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Ledoux
authors.forename: Paromita
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hore
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Robson
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010575:Pesticides