Low-dose agrochemicals and lawn-care pesticides induce developmental toxicity in murine preimplantation embryos (original) (raw)

Residential pesticide exposures and their effects on reproductive health are less well understood. A few studies suggest that maternal exposures to pesticides used around the home are associated with risk of stillbirth and fetal deaths (Bell et al. 2001b; Pastore et al. 1997; Savitz et al. 1989). Decreased birth weight and length of newborns have been associated with high levels of chlorpyrifos in plasma samples of urban minority women (Perera et al. 2003). Timing, combinations of agrochemicals, duration of exposure, and dose may play critical roles in pregnancy outcomes. Bell et al. (2001a) reported that maternal pesticide exposures occurring during the third to eighth weeks of pregnancy have the greatest impact on fetal deaths. This temporal association strengthened when the pesticides were applied within 1 mi 2 of the maternal residence. Timing of paternal pesticide exposures may also be important. Arbuckle et al. (1999a)