Living within 500 meters of an area where pesticides are sprayed before conception and early in pregnancy could increase the risk of fetal death after 22 weeks of gestation.
- Researchers compared data from Arizona’s pesticide use records for 27 different pesticides with data from state birth certificates between 2006 and 2020.
- They found that living within 500 meters of areas where certain pesticides were sprayed 90 days before conception or in the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of stillbirth.
- “Among the organophosphates, acephate showed the strongest effect estimates on stillbirth, such that exposure to acephate in the first trimester was associated with a doubling of risk,” said co-author Dr Paloma Beamer.
A new study from the University of Arizona in the United States warns of the risks associated with pesticide exposure in pregnant women before and during their early pregnancy. The results were published in the article “Preconception and first trimester pesticide exposure and associations with stillbirth” and posted online in theAmerican Journal of Epidemiology.
Pesticides: living within 500 meters of fields linked to risk of stillbirth
To conduct the study, the researchers linked Arizona’s records of 27 different pesticides to data from state birth certificates, which included 1,237,750 births and 2,290 stillbirths between 2006 and 2020.
They found that living within 500 meters of areas where pyrethroid, organophosphate or carbamate pesticides were sprayed, during a 90-day preconception window or the first trimester of pregnancy, was associated with an increased risk of stillbirth.
Stillbirth: risks that differ depending on pesticides
“These results highlight the importance of considering individual pesticides rather than the pesticide class as a whole, as specific chemical compounds may pose particular risks., said First author Dr Melissa Furlong. They also highlight the risk that pre-pregnancy exposure could affect reproductive outcomes.”
Specifically, preconception exposure to the pesticides cyfluthrin, zeta-cypermethrin, organophosphates as a class, malathion, carbaryl, and propamocarb hydrochloride was associated with increased stillbirths. During the first trimester, exposure to fenpropathrin, permethrin, organophosphates as a class, acephate, and formetanate hydrochloride was associated with stillbirths.Among the organophosphates, acephate showed the strongest effect estimates on stillbirth, such that exposure to acephate in the first trimester was associated with a doubling of the risk,” said co-author Dr. Paloma Beamer. “Within the pyrethroid class, exposure to cyfluthrin in the 90 days before conception nearly doubled the risk of stillbirth.”
According to the researchers, this study shows the importance of developing strategies to mitigate pesticide exposure in pregnant women, but not only that: “Further research is essential to fully understand the safety profiles of different pesticides and to understand the underlying mechanisms of pesticide-induced stillbirth.,” concluded Dr. Furlong.
