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Abstract: Contemporary-Use Pesticides in Personal Air Samples during Pregnancy and Blood Samples at Delivery among Urban Minority Mothers and Newborns
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Citation: Whyatt RM, Barr DB, Camann DE, Kinney PL, Barr JR, Andrews HF, Hoepner LA, Garfinkel R, Hazi Y, Reyes A, Ramirez J, Cosme Y, Perera FP. Association of In Utero Contemporary-Use Pesticides in Personal Air Samples during Pregnancy and Blood Samples at Delivery among Urban Minority Mothers and Newborns. Environmental Health Perspectives 111:749-756 (2003).
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/m3) . 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.
Keywords: blood levels, minority, pesticides, prenatal, residential, urban, women.
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