Living near agricultural pesticide applications and the risk of adverse reproductive outcomes: a review of the literature

Abstract

Objectives This systematic review evaluates the current epidemiological evidence on the association between living near agricultural pesticide applications and adverse reproductive outcomes, including congenital malformations, stillbirth, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), low birthweight, preterm birth and spontaneous abortions. Methods We identified and reviewed 25 studies from a systematic search of the main scientific databases and other sources published in 1950 to 2007. Study methods and main results were summarised and tabulated according to the year of study, design and type of adverse reproductive outcome. The levels of evidence for reproductive toxicity in humans contributed by each study were assessed and the main limitations associated with these studies discussed.

Cleft lip and palate: Associated genetic and environmental factorsImmunodeficiency Virus

“…Shirangi et al, [43] in a systematic review of the literature, assessed the current epidemiological evidence of the association between residents of nearby areas with application of pesticides in agriculture and adverse reproductive outcomes, including congenital malformations. They concluded that the scientific evidence suggests an association with congenital malformations; however, due to methodological limitations of the various studies, a definitive conclusion was not reached.…”

“…Methodological shortcomings with respect to establish an exposure-response relationship, to control confounding factors and assess large populations represent the challenges to be overcome by future researches. [43] Fogh-Andersen [44] first defined genetic factors as etiological factors of cleft lip and palate, which was later confirmed by segregation analysis. Since then, a variety of genetic approaches has been used to identify genes and loci involved in the etiology of clefts.…”

Desfechos relacionados à gravidez em áreas contaminadas, SP, Brasil

“…Among the outcomes, the congenital malformations had presented a strong force of association. Other outcomes like low birth weight (LBW), prematurity and abortion, while presenting weaker associations, deserve new inquiries 5 .…”

Pesticide exposure and poor pregnancy outcomes: weaknesses of the evidence

“…Dear Sir, An analytical observational study by Cremonese et al 1 recently suggested that prenatal exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for poor pregnancy outcomes such as pre-term births and lower Apgar scores. The authors used an ecological (correlational) study to investigate whether there was an association between exposure to pesticides (in general) and poor pregnancy outcomes in micro-regions of states in the South Region of Brazil.…”

“…Using the MEDLINE databank, a search with the keywords "pesticide" and "pregnancy", yields 4,122 publications, the first of which dates back to 1937. In this sense, although the interest on the effects of such chemicals during pregnancy is old, the establishment of an accurate exposure assessment presents several difficulties 1 .…”