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New research has shown that living less than 0.3 miles from an area with pesticide use before becoming pregnant and during the first trimester of pregnancy may increase the risk of stillbirth. The research was conducted by the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center. According to the research findings, certain pesticides, particularly the class of organophosphates, were associated with stillbirth during the first trimester of pregnancy and the 90-day preconception period. The study “Pesticide Exposure During the First Trimester and Its Association with Stillbirth” was released in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
“In this study, some specific substances stood out for their significant associations with the risk of stillbirth,” said first author Melissa Furlong, PhD, who studies the long-term health effects of environmental contaminants as an assistant professor and environmental epidemiologist at the Zuckerman College of Public Health and a member of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center at the R. Kane Coit College of Pharmacy. “These findings underscore the importance of considering individual pesticides rather than just the overall pesticide class, as specific chemical compounds may pose unique risks. It also highlights the potential for pre-pregnancy exposure to influence reproductive outcomes.” (Also read: Preconception care and parenthood preparation: tips to improve health for fertility and pregnancy ,
To conduct the study, researchers linked Arizona’s pesticide use records for 27 different pesticides with state birth certificate data, including 1,237,750 births and 2,290 stillbirths from 2006 to 2020. They found that living within .31 miles (500 meters) of specific pyrethroid, organophosphate or carbamate pesticide applications during the 90-day pre-conception period or the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of stillbirth.
Specifically, the insecticides cyfluthrin, zeta-cypermethrin, organophosphates as a class, malathion, carbaryl, and propamocarb hydrochloride were associated with an increase in stillbirths before conception. During the first trimester, fenpropathrin, permethrin, organophosphates as a class, acefate, and formethaneate hydrochloride were associated with stillbirths.
“Among the organophosphates, acephate showed the strongest effect estimate on stillbirth, so exposure to acephate in the first trimester doubled the risk,” said co-author Paloma Beamer, PhD, a professor and interim associate dean at the Zuckerman College of Public Health and a member of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, the U of A Health Sciences Asthma and Airway Diseases Research Center and the BIO5 Institute. “Within the pyrethroid class, exposure to cyfluthrin during the first 90 days from conception nearly doubled the risk of stillbirth.”
Pesticides are chemicals used to control pests in a variety of situations. They are generally classified into different classes, such as organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates. The primary route of exposure for most people is through the diet, but household use, agricultural drift and occupational exposure are also important routes. The researchers say that although some pesticides were not directly implicated in this study, they may still pose risks to maternal and fetal health.
Pregnant women may be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of pesticide exposure due to physiological changes during pregnancy, such as increased metabolic rate, changes in hormone levels, and changes in the immune system. The developing fetus may be more sensitive to the toxic effects of pesticides during this period of rapid development and growth.
“Further research is necessary to fully understand the safety profiles of different pesticides and to understand the mechanisms underlying pesticide-induced stillbirths,” said Furlong. “This study underscores the need to develop strategies to reduce exposure to protect maternal and fetal health.”
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