Indoor Pesticide Exposure, Birthweight, and Gestational Age: A Cohort Study among Pregnant Women in Beijing, China

Abstract

Background: Prenatal exposure to pesticides are a major public health concern for adverse reproductive outcomes including birthweight. The association between pesticide exposure in pregnant women and fetal growth remains inconsistent.Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between maternal exposure to indoor pesticides with infant birthweight and gestational age in a Chinese population.Methods: A total of 201 study participants in early pregnancy were recruited from Hangtian and Anzhen Hospitals in the Haidan District of Beijing, China. A baseline questionnaire collected information on demographics, disease history, occupational exposure and medical history. Mothers were asked if they use pesticides/insecticides in the home (yes/no). At follow-up, women reported the birthweight in grams and gestational age in weeks. We used linear regression to estimate the change in birthweight and gestational age related to reported indoor pesticide use.Results: Of the 201 participants, 114 women had information available for both indoor pesticide use and birth outcomes. A total of 19 participants (16.67%) reported indoor pesticide use during the 1st trimester. Birthweight ranged from 1100g-4600g and gestational age ranged from 29-41 weeks. The crude model showed a significant reduced birthweight for mothers exposed to indoor pesticides (β= -273.37, p=0.04). However, after adjustment for parity, smoking status, BMI, and maternal age, we observed no significant association between indoor pesticide use and birthweight (β= -248.71, p=0.06). Indoor pesticide use in the 1st trimester was associated with a significant decreased gestational age (β= -0.91, p=0.04) after adjustment for parity, infant sex, BMI, maternal age, and smoking status.Conclusions: Our results indicate that exposure to home pesticides use during the 1st trimester of pregnancy was associated with a decrease in birthweight and gestational age in this Chinese population.