Contemporary-use pesticides in personal air samples during pregnancy and blood samples at delivery among urban minority mothers and newborns.

Abstract

We have measured 29 pesticides in plasma samples collected at birth between 1998 and 2001 from 230 mother and newborn pairs enrolled in the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health prospective cohort study. Our prior research has shown widespread pesticide use during pregnancy among this urban minority cohort from New York City. We also measured eight pesticides in 48-hr personal air samples collected from the mothers during pregnancy. The following seven pesticides were detected in 48-83% of plasma samples (range, 1-270 pg/g): the organophosphates chlorpyrifos and diazinon, the carbamates bendiocarb and 2-isopropoxyphenol (metabolite of propoxur), and the fungicides dicloran, phthalimide (metabolite of folpet and captan), and tetrahydrophthalimide (metabolite of captan and captafol). Maternal and cord plasma levels were similar and, except for phthalimide, were highly correlated (p < 0.001). Chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and propoxur were detected in 100% of personal air samples (range, 0.7-6,010 ng/m(3)). Diazinon and propoxur levels were significantly higher in the personal air of women reporting use of an exterminator, can sprays, and/or pest bombs during pregnancy compared with women reporting no pesticide use or use of lower toxicity methods only. A significant correlation was seen between personal air level of chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and propoxur and levels of these insecticides or their metabolites in plasma samples (maternal and/or cord, p < 0.05). The fungicide ortho-phenylphenol was also detected in 100% of air samples but was not measured in plasma. The remaining 22 pesticides were detected in 0-45% of air or plasma samples. Chlorpyrifos, diazinon, propoxur, and bendiocarb levels in air and/or plasma decreased significantly between 1998 and 2001. Findings indicate that pesticide exposures are frequent but decreasing and that the pesticides are readily transferred to the developing fetus during pregnancy.

Paraoxonase gene variants are associated with autism in North America, but not in Italy: possible regional specificity in gene–environment interactions

“…48 Prospective studies monitoring OP exposure in 316 pregnant African-American and Dominican women from New York City found many of them (35%) reporting at least one intervention by an exterminator during their pregnancy, all of them (100%) showing detectable levels of diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and carbamate propoxur in maternal and cord blood, and in maternal ambient air, and some of them (9/230 ¼ 3.9%) with documented exposures exceeding the health-based reference dose (RfD) set by the EPA. 49,50 Interestingly, of the three compounds, diazinon alone was involved in all nine cases of overexposure. 50 This evidence of maternal exposure is even more relevant to the fetus, since human serum paraoxonase reaches adult levels only at approximately 12-18 months of postnatal life, leaving the fetus generally less protected regardless of PON1 genotypic status.…”

“…49,50 Interestingly, of the three compounds, diazinon alone was involved in all nine cases of overexposure. 50 This evidence of maternal exposure is even more relevant to the fetus, since human serum paraoxonase reaches adult levels only at approximately 12-18 months of postnatal life, leaving the fetus generally less protected regardless of PON1 genotypic status. 51 Another instance of environmental exposure continuously exceeding for several days the RfD set for diazinon was documented in a preschool child, whose household had received a pesticide application 3 days prior to toxicological screening.…”

Determinants of temporal variability in NHEXAS-Maryland environmental concentrations, exposures, and biomarkers

“…Of these effects, only use in bathrooms was in the logical direction. While inverse correlations between pesticide concentrations and self-reported activities are not uncommon (Berkowitz et al, 2003;Whyatt et al, 2003), in light of the shifting pesticide market and the long accumulation periods represented by dust loadings (Simcox et al, 1995), it is worth emphasizing that use in bathrooms referred to activities within the past 6 months, while daily pesticide use was specific to the recent monitoring period. Further, those with frequent pesticide contact at work would have access to the newest pesticides and, knowing their dangers, might be more careful with them at home.…”

Time–activity patterns of pregnant women and changes during the course of pregnancy

“…For example, there is evidence of links between adverse birth outcomes and exposure to outdoor air pollution (Ritz and Yu, 1999), indoor air pollution (Rauh et al, 2004) and pesticides (Whyatt et al, 2003). Exposure to contaminants is often evaluated through the use of location-based activity pattern data to establish when and where people spend their time.…”